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Introduction

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Japanese woodblock printing has a long and illustrious history. The Japanese word for the traditional form of woodblock printing is mokuhanga, which literally translates to “wood print.” Mokuhanga encompasses all forms of Japanese woodblock printing, including ukiyo-e and shin-hanga­, but differs slightly from Western woodblock printmaking in that water-based inks are utilized as opposed to oil-based. After the advent of shin-hanga in the early 1900s, different artists chose to focus their efforts on different aspects of Japan; for example, many of the pieces by printmakers such as Kawase Hasui and Oda Kazuma illustrated the countryside, while those by Yoshida Hiroshi and Yoshida Tōshi depicted the cities. As a result of Japan’s rapid urbanization in the Meiji era and beyond, Japanese woodblock prints of the first half of the twentieth century from the shin-hanga movement reflect an interesting juxtaposition of new, urban landscapes as well as idealized images of the countryside, while still relying on traditional printing techniques. 

This page has paths:

  1. SHIN-HANGA: VISIONS OF MODERN JAPAN Madeleine Zimmerman

Contents of this path:

  1. Development of Woodblock Printing