Question 1

What is Kento?

Accepted Answer

The registration mark system carved into woodblocks to ensure precise alignment of multiple color layers during printing.

Question 2

What does 見当 mean?

Accepted Answer

見当 (Kento) is a term used in Japanese woodblock printmaking. The registration mark system carved into woodblocks to ensure precise alignment of multiple color layers during printing.

Question 3

How is Kento used in Japanese woodblock prints?

Accepted Answer

Kento is the ingenious registration system that makes multi-color woodblock printing possible. Each block in a set has identical marks carved into its surface — typically a right-angle notch in one corner and a straight-line mark along one edge. The printer places the dampened paper against these marks for every impression, ensuring that each color layer aligns precisely with the others.

The standard kento system consists of two marks: the kagi (key mark), an L-shaped notch cut into one corner of the block, and the hikitsuke (pull mark), a short straight groove along one edge. Together, these two reference points fix the paper's position in both axes. The kento marks are cut by the block carver and must be identical on every block in a set.

Accurate kento alignment becomes increasingly critical as the number of color blocks grows. A print using twenty blocks means the paper must be precisely positioned twenty times — any drift shows as color misregistration, visible as thin white gaps or color overlaps between areas. The skill of cutting precise kento marks and consistently positioning paper against them is fundamental to the craft of Japanese printmaking.