Gomazuri

A printing technique that creates a speckled, granular texture resembling scattered sesame seeds, used for depicting rough surfaces like stone or earth.

胡麻摺 (Gomazuri) is a term used in Japanese woodblock printmaking. A printing technique that creates a speckled, granular texture resembling scattered sesame seeds, used for depicting rough surfaces like stone or earth.

Gomazuri, literally "sesame-seed printing," produces a distinctive speckled texture by applying pigment unevenly to a block, often using a stiff brush or cloth pad rather than the standard flat application. The result is a pattern of tiny dots and gaps that suggests rough, granular surfaces such as stone walls, earthen paths, sand, or weathered wood. The technique is particularly effective for depicting natural textures in landscape prints. Kawase Hasui used gomazuri effects for stone lanterns, temple walls, and rocky shorelines. The speckled surface catches light differently from flat-printed areas, adding visual depth and material variety to the composition.

Notable examples of Gomazuri can be seen in works such as "Takamatsu Castle in Sanuki (Sanuki no Takamatsujo), from the series "Souvenirs of Travel, Second Series (Tabi miyage dai nishu)"", "The Inokashira Benten Shrine in Snow (Shato no yuki)", "The Pond at Benten Shrine in Shiba (Shiba Benten ike)", and 5 more in our collection.