From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the French commune, see Baren, Haute-Garonne.
Baren is a Japanese tool used in printmaking processes such as woodcut or linoleum. The baren is a disk like device with a rounded bottom and on the reverse side, a knotted handle. The baren is used to burnish (firmly rub) the paper to pick up ink that has been rolled onto a wood or linoleum cut with a hand roller called a brayer. The baren requires up to a year of intensive labor to create, requiring the skill of a true master. Only one known person in Japan is still making traditional baren for a living. Large wooden spoons are also used as burnishing tools in printmaking.
