Abstract
Ukiyo-e prints, Japanese multicolor woodblock prints, is a traditional Japanese art that has been flourished since Edo period. To surmise the production technologies of woodblock prints, such as materials, carving technologies, and printing technologies, detailed analysis of color pigments that are one of the most important essential materials used in woodblock prints is required. In this study, we proposed a noninvasive analytical method of color pigments by means of Raman spectral-imaging. Pigment species and its molecular structures were clarified via Raman spectra of pigments. Raman imaging of woodblock prints revealed pigment distribution in plane and cross-section, which provided adhesion states of pigments on paper fibers. We also visualized a different pigment distribution on paper depending on glue content in pigment mixture. Our results indicated that Raman spectral-imaging would be a promising technique for evaluating a production technologies of ancient ukiyo-e prints that was still unknown at present.
