As I get closer to finishing the Kernel of Thought key block, I will need my printing supplies at the ready. Part of the reason I adopted this Tree of Life venture fully is to force me to get back into making my own art. I am not going to lie, it has been a HOT minute since the last time I created a Japanese woodblock-style print. I have not forgotten the techniques but I am admittedly rusty. 

My barens have languished for at least a few years since I last used them. You can see in the first photo the tiny holes in a circular pattern on the bamboo sheath. These come from the coiled fiber rubbing through from the inside out during use. The bamboo sheaths aren't meant to be used indefinitely and do need replacement during use. A skill a moku hanga practitioner needs to acquire is the maintenance of their tools. This is an art in and of itself. Knives need sharpening, sharpening stones need flattening, rice paste needs cooking, brushes need conditioning, and barens need recovering.

The first time I tried to recover my cheap student grade baren (I only paid $6.00 for it.) I was amazed to uncover this illustration. The cheap paper coil in the core was covered by a section of manga comic page. Two motor boats tear across a body of water at full speed. I wonder what the whole story was!

My more expensive Murasaki baren (I think I remember paying $130 for it before shipping) is filled with a purple knotted cord. I remember being disappointed the first time I went to recover it because the cord was glued down. Just as well that I don't struggle with keeping the cord confined during recovering. Perhaps Hon barens have a loose removable core. They start at $1,200. 

Takenokawa are bamboo sheaths used for covering the baren surface. They take the brunt of the burnishing so that they core remains undamaged. To put size into perspective, this sheath is over 20" long. The sheaths that average backyard red stripe bamboo sheds for their growing cycles are about 5" long. 

I only had two and they were VERY old back-ups that I had ordered when I last performed this task. I have a manual that I reference about the procedure but it is buried in the back of my storage unit until I am no longer displaced. That might be a while. I have made many excuses and had many delays before I lost my studio so I am determined that this project needed to move forward.

My first attempt was to recover the student grade baren and I definitely learned some things quick.

I remember reading that practitioners wrapped the husks in a soft cloth and used their breath to make the dry sheath more pliable. It did but I did not do this long enough for the student grade baren so it was more brittle. I also made the mistake of starting with the root end of the sheath which was more tough and cantankerous.  Needless to say, I made a mess and split the sheath. It is an unfortunate loss (these imports aren't cheap) but I expected this might happen as I am out of practice. Nothing for it but to forge ahead!

The sheath must then be trimmed to the baren size. That's what I did next. After ruining the first sheath, I decided to stop documenting so I had both hands and a better focus. In ruining the student grade covering, I now had a learning experience to better guide me for the Murasaki!

And, you know what? It's not pretty but it is functional! I will place another order for takenokawa (bamboo sheaths) as I will be needing more for this project, and get moving with my ugly but functioning baren. You can see the splitting sheath material in the twists of the handles. It is an amateur move but I will tack these down with PVA. I need to keep the tears from telegraphing down the length of the covering. 

With those tacked down and the longer sheath ends trimmed off, I now have a functioning baren to proof the Kernel of Thought block. The folding is crude and the binding rudimentary but this tool will get me to where I need to go!

Though I have recovered my Murasaki a few times, I have kept the original sheath. I use it to learn from and have it as a skill level to aspire to. The original master who covered my baren has a graceful level of craft and finish.

From this angle you can see how the sheath is twisted gracefully to the form of the core backer. It looks like fine upholstery. Its shape is that of a crane with outstretched wings and bending neck.

In an effort not to split the brittle sheath, my folds are bulky and cumbersome. But it is definitely going to get the job done and I can't wait to use it!