While sharpening the tools, concentration gradually gathers.
From this atelier, one can enjoy the beautiful view of the ocean.

...he draws a very rough sketch of the image (just some "smears" of black ink).
At this stage, the image is still moving and changing in the artist's mind.

The image on the block should be the "mirror image" of the final work. In the artist's mind, the mirror images (even the letters) are already there from the start.

Starts carving. The image, at this stage, has changed completely from the rough sketch.

The image in the artist's mind is still moving.
To "fix" the image on the block, he needs to carve the wood with great speed.

After 15 minutes or so, he puts down the tool, spreads black ink on the block.

Print the image on a special paper, made from an Okinawan plant called "getto".
At this stage, the image is still in black and white.

Paints in the colours from the back of the paper.
This technique, called "uratesaishoku", is to leave the black parts clearer.

After putting all the colours, he checks the work from the front.

The whole process only takes about half an hour or so.