Printing process, Kyoto karakami

Woodblocks are very often made from the wood of the magnolia tree. This wood is soft and easy to sculpt, and the surface remains smooth even with many years of use. For this reason, though the woodblocks preserved at Karacho have been used for three centuries, they show virtually no signs of wear. The grain of the cherry tree, which was often used to make woodblock prints, grows at different speeds depending on the season, which can lead to discrepancies in degree of hardness causing concave and convex areas. Because karakami features repetitive patterns, this type of wood is unsuitable for the craft.