sumizuri-e

{{short description|Japanese woodblock prints}}

File:Nishikawa_Sukenobu,_1739,_Ehon_Asakayama,17_gris.jpg

Sumizuri-e is a type of monochromatic woodblock printing that uses only black ink. It is one of the earliest forms of Japanese woodblock printing, dating back to the Nara period (710 – 794).

Sumi-e translates to “ink wash painting,” which is a type of East Asian brush painting technique that uses black ink. The oldest example of sumizuri-e printing was discovered in the One Million Pagodas. These Pagodas were religious works commissioned by the Empress Shōtoku to be distributed to Japan's ten major temples.{{Cite web|url=https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/44955|title=One of the "One Million Pagodas" (Hyakumanto) and Invocation|last=|first=|date=|website=www.metmuseum.org|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2019-11-04}} The miniature wooden pagodas were made to honor the Buddhist deities and thank them for holding back the Emi Rebellion of 764. Inside of these relics, each pagoda contains a darani, or Buddhist invocation, that was printed on small scrolls.{{Cite web|url=https://www.kyohaku.go.jp/eng/dictio/kouko/hyakuman.html|title=Kyoto National Museum|last=|first=|date=|website=|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=}} Historians believe this is the oldest example of sumizuri-e printmaking, but due to their religious importance, it is antagonistic to remove and study all of the sutra scrolls. X-ray photos are used to observe these pagodas from a distance and allow researchers to recreate the sutras.{{Cite journal|last1=Albertin|first1=F.|last2=Astolfo|first2=A.|last3=Stampanoni|first3=M.|last4=Peccenini|first4=Eva|last5=Hwu|first5=Y.|last6=Kaplan|first6=F.|last7=Margaritondo|first7=G.|date=2015-01-30|title=Ancient administrative handwritten documents: X-ray analysis and imaging|journal=Journal of Synchrotron Radiation|volume=22|issue=Pt 2|pages=446–451|doi=10.1107/S1600577515000314|issn=0909-0495|pmc=4786057|pmid=25723946}} The technology is employed to detect the age and wear of the scrolls.

File:百万塔・百万塔陀羅尼-One of the “One Million Pagodas” (Hyakumanto) and Invocation MET 30 47ac INSIDE.jpeg

As the printmaking movement developed, artists began painting the sumizuri-e prints by hand to color in the images (kappazuri-e).