Page:Japanese Wood Engravings.djvu/76

62 series of children's books published by the Kobunsha Company has already proved to the Japanese publishers that good work may now be made more profitable than at any time in the history of their calling.

The main facts in connection with the technique of wood engraving are as follows: The picture, drawn for the engraver upon thin translucent

paper of a particular kind, is pasted face downwards upon a plank of wood, usually cherry—sawn in the direction of the grain, instead of across it, as in Europe—and the superfluous thickness of paper is removed by a process of scraping until the design is visible; finally, the thin layer remaining is made transparent by the use of a little oil and the work of engraving begins. The borders of the outline