Space cover to commemorate the launchSuccessful launch of rocket. With that joy, JAXA's space cover has been issued since the old NASDA / ISAS era. The envelope, which was postmarked in the morning of the day of the successful launch, made the hearts of space lovers excited as a special commemorative envelope containing the culture and technology of Japanese woodblock prints that blossomed during the Edo period.
Watanabe Woodblock Art Painting in Ginza, Tokyo, was responsible for the production of the space cover for JAXA (NASDA/ISAS at that time), which began in 1980 to express cutting-edge space science using traditional ukiyo-e techniques. Pavement. The shop handles a wide range of Japanese woodblock prints, from ukiyo-e to modern prints, but space covers are made using the technology of ukiyo-e prints.
"Using the traditional technology of ukiyo-e that has been going on for 250 years, we express cutting-edge space science. I think that space cover is a hybrid manufacturing, and I think I will look back on it now."
That's what Shoichiro Watanabe, the owner of Watanabe Woodblock Art Gallery, says. This space cover, which was started from the predecessor of Shoichiro's father, was produced until the launch of HTV No. 3 in 2012. Space cover production continued until the craftsman who tailored a special envelope, commonly known as the "Watanabe version," retired.
Above: At the Watanabe woodblock art store, the owner, Shoichiro Watanabe, and his wife, Akiko.
The predecessor who was a collector of stamps and covers. At that time, the couple headed for the launch site Uchinoura and Tanegashima in Kagoshima, and postmarked the space cover at the post office near the launch site.
"Even if I went to Uchinoura and Tanegashima, I've only been to the post office. I can't go sightseeing at all," my mother-in-law often spilled (laughs). That's how my father-in-law is looking forward to stamping It seems like it wasn't there, "says Shoichiro's wife, Akiko, with a laugh.
Shoichiro, on the other hand, analyzes that it seems natural that the predecessor was absorbed in space cover.
"Our shop was founded in Kyobashi in 1909 and started as a painter specializing in ukiyo-e. From my father's point of view, ukiyo-e is one of the entertainment that expresses people's joy, enjoyment, and longing. I think that selling it in woodblock prints was also about chasing the latest things every day. From that point of view, this space cover is also the most advanced thing in different fields. Because it appeals to the latest science and technology, there is something in common with ukiyo-e. Therefore, I think it is a very natural flow to express a space cover using ukiyo-e techniques."
Above: Inside the space cover envelope is a sheet of paper with information such as the purpose of the launch, the total mass of the rocket, the main payloads, and the launch site.
In the interview, at the request of Watanabe Woodblock Art Gallery, I was able to talk to Takashi Shimizu, a painter who has been in charge of all the space cover designs by himself and has continued to draw.
"I drew any design over a couple of days. I remember drawing it as I like at the beginning, but I feel that the number of redraws has increased in the second half (I think) (Laughs). I think that the number of elements I want to incorporate into the design has increased year by year. There are some designs that I hurriedly handed over to Mr. Yano due to the deadline, and now that I think about it, I was able to draw a little more. There are also points to reflect on."
"Mr. Yano" is Mr. Satoru Yano, who was a staff member of Watanabe at that time and was in charge of space cover. When the deadline was approaching, Mr. Yano sometimes visited Mr. Shimizu's home and had a meeting at night.
"Basically, I was drawing while discussing what kind of situation to compose while receiving photos and materials that I wanted to make into a design from Mr. Yano. Among them, I sometimes drew the motif that I wanted to draw with my own image. At the time of the launch of the orbiting satellite "KAGUYA (SELENE)" (pictured below), I hung up on "Kaguya" and liked Kaguyahime. I really like this."
Above: The hand-drawn characters on the top of the envelope are also by Mr. Shimizu.
Painter, sculptor, sushi master. And the craftsmanship of making envelopes shines.
In the first place, woodblock prints have been used for printing scriptures, Buddhist paintings, and printed books since ancient times in Japan. And in the Edo period, ukiyo-e became very popular. Around this time, the technology of woodblock multicolor printing advanced, and at the same time, a division of labor system was established by painters, sculptors, and sushi masters, and a wide range of expressions became possible.
The space cover is also a "painter" who draws a pattern like Mr. Shimizu, a "sculptor" who carves a woodblock that is the original plate for woodblock printing, spreads the paint on the woodblock and rubs it on Japanese paper, and overlays the colors to create the work. "Surishi" to finish. And it was made by a division of labor system by craftsmen who tailor envelopes.
Envelopes are one of the irresistible points for those who are familiar with them. That is the envelope called "Watanabe version."
Above: "It is our original that the opening of the envelope is rounded. Shinji Funahashi, an envelope craftsman who has been making this" Watanabe version cover "for a long time, is another big cover enthusiast. At the place, it took about 2 months to finish it in about 2 days." (Mr. Akiko).
Above: A woodblock with a design engraved on it. The types of trees used are mainly cherry blossoms and veneers. The woodblocks, whose texture changes depending on the wood, are used properly. The number of editions for making one space cover is about 7 editions.
With the retirement of Mr. Funahashi, the making of space covers for Watanabe Woodblock Art Gallery will be put to an end, but Akiko still has memorable memories.
"When I asked for the final cover envelope to be tailored, I asked Mr. Shimizu to draw the faces of Mr. and Mrs. Funahashi and gave them as gifts. Then they were really pleased and we were both impressed that this was the last time. In this way, Mr. Shimizu, Mr. and Mrs. Funahashi, the sculptor, the sushi master, our Yano, etc. all worked very hard until the end, so I think that it has been continued for a long time. For Watanabe Woodblock Art Gallery The space cover is a special product."
American space cover
There is also a space cover in the United States. The photo is an American space cover issued on October 11, 2000 to commemorate the launch of STS-92. STS-92 was an assembly mission of the International Space Station by Space Shuttle Discovery, which also had Astronaut Koichi Wakata on board.
"I'm not sure when the space cover started, but the space cover shop in the United States has something published in the 1930s to commemorate the experiment of flying a balloon into the stratosphere. This STS-92 launch commemorative space cover was given by a collector living in Florida. The collector, who said that the NASA launch could be seen from home, said, "I will replace this with this Japanese space cover every time there is a launch in Japan. "I want you to do it," he sent me a number of selections from his collection, and "Japanese covers are better than any other country, and they are not easily available." I remember what was written in the letter. I think the Japanese style of hand-carved prints, which is different from ordinary printed matter, touched my heart. It's a small frame of international exchange connected by a space cover."
posted 02-05-2021 06:49 PM
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