day 12 - Sekioka sensei returns home..

Today, Sekioka sensei returned home, but not before letting us have a go with cutting 'sakura no ki'..cherry wood. It was very difficult indeed to cut through the wood as it is very tough. This is great for making very detailed images, but our hangi-to knives were too wide to do it. He then allowed me to use one of his knives and it became a lot easier.

He then showed us the correct way to sharpen our knives, using a set of stones that go from very rough to very smooth. These stones have to be soaked in water before use, and then kept wet, otherwise they can damage the blades.

From left to right..back row - Dyan, Keiko-san. Middle row - myself and Michael. Front row, Elettra, Sekioka sensei and Asa. The tatami mats we are sitting on are actually quite comfortable now. We have to sit in seiza for 7 hours of the day [for those who don't know, the people in the front row of the photograph are sitting in seiza - it is the traditional Japanese way and is quite nice once one's legs get used to it], so this is a good thing.

Here sensei shows us the traditional way of sitting to do moku hanga. This is a moku hanga table which is slightly angled. I am going to see if I can get one of these [or make one] for when I get home. I can't really imagine making moku han prints whilst seated at a western style table now, it would seem quite odd to do so.

Regular readers may remember a picture I posted a couple of days ago showing the first cuts from my new block. Since then I abandoned that block [I started cutting it before Sekioka sensei came to teach us] and this is the new block, cut down to the second layer of plywood. I don't think I have done that bad a job.

On Sunday, we are going to a bonsai museum and then to a shrine, where there will be an outdoor Noh theatre performance. I think I might use the photographs from that as part of the work I will be making over the next six weeks.