Page:Japanese Wood Engravings.djvu/86

70 Yellow.—In the old prints orpiment and yellow ochre (Sekiwo and Odo) prepared from native earths, but more recently imported orpiment and gamboge have been employed. Shido, a brownish ochre, made from a native earth, is also used.

Blue.—Blue carbonate of copper (konjo) made from a native earth, and indigo (airo) prepared from the polygonum tinctorium were used in the older prints; but the modern printers have largely adopted an imported Prussian blue (bero-ai).



Green.—Made from aceto-arsenite of copper (rokusho), or by admixture of blue and yellow.

Purple.—An admixture of red and blue. First seen in the later prints of Toyokuni.

Rice paste, employed as a medium and to give lustre. It is prepared with much care.