CARMINE _(Beni)._ Made from the Safflower, Carthamus tinctorius,
from which rouge is also prepared. The kind called _Saiku-Beni_ is
generally mixed with an acid derived from the Plum-fruit
_(Mukiume)._
BLUE _(Ao)_. Both _AiroÌ_(indigo) and _Hero_ (European blue) are now
used. The old indigo was sometimes extracted from dyed rags.
YELLOW _(Ki)._ Generally _Zumi,_ a yellow dye, and _Kiwo,_ orpiment,
are used, and _ShiwoÌ,_ gamboge, for the best prints.
PURPLE _(Murasaki)._ Formerly this colour was made by mixing
_Aigami_ (blue) and _Beni_ (red), but now an imported purple is
used.
GREEN _(Midori)._ A mixture of either _Hero_ and _Kiwo,_ or _Zumi_
and _AiroÌ._
ORANGE YELLOW _(ToÌ-oÌ)._ Produced by mixing _Zumi_ and _Bengara_
(iron red) or _Zumi_ and _Yenji_ (rouge).
BLACK _(Sumi)_. _Yeizen Zumi_(lamp-black) is used with the
key-block. It should be steeped in water for five or six months,
then thoroughly well mixed in a wooden dish with a wooden mixer.
_Tsuya-Zumi_ is the brilliant black used for such details as human
hair, black lacquer objects, &c. It is obtained by the use of a
_Dosa_ medium (mixture of glue and alum); and printed from a
separate block.
SILVER COLOR _(Gin-ro)._ Lead powder mixed with glue.
GOLD COLOR _(Kin-iro)._ Brass powder mixed with glue.
COPPER COLOR _(Akegane-iro)._ Pure copper powder mixed with glue.
WHITE _(Shiro)._ Powered white clay _(JoÌfun)_ mixed with glue.
Clamshell powder _(Namaguriko)_ is sometimes employed.
_ Bengara_ (IRON RED), _Tan_ (RED LEAD) and MICA are also used.
NOTE.—The above colours are those given in the _Bungei Riusan_ (see p.
22).
Great importance was attached to the grinding and mixing of the colours.
The glue-water medium used for mixing with black was made in the
proportion of about one-third of an ounce of glue to three-fourths of a
pint of water; but these proportions varied with various qualities of the
pigment or paper. In the case of other colours, glue was not always used,
but rice-paste (made with rice-flour and boiling water); the actual being
sometimes done in the process of applying the colour to the block. A
little alum was dissolved in the cold water with which the rice-paste was
mixed. A specially brilliant effect was produced by laying a light wash of
rice-paste over the block before spreading the colours.
RELIEF PRINTING.—For this purpose, a special block is made for that part
in the print where the relief is required. The print is laid _back
downwards_ on the block, in the opposite manner to that used when printing
colour, and the impression is rubbed in with a tool of ivory—the canine
teeth of the wild boar being the material most favoured.
[DIAGRAM:—The _Baren._—Its internal construction ]