Japanese Printmaking

Far off the beaten path you can find some amazing things . . .

 Evening at Ushigome by Koitsu Tsuchiya (1870 - 1949)

I recently visited the exhibition Imprints for Impact, a showcase of Japanese Printmaking at the Center for Arts Asian Arts Gallery, Towson, MD.  It wasn't crowded and you could take your time viewing original prints by renown Japanese artists such as Utagawa Hiroshige, Kawase Hasui, Koitsu Tsuchiya, Totoya Hokkei, and Takahasi Hiromitsu, just to name a few.

Meguro Fudo Temple by Kawase Hasui (1883-1957)

Meguro Fudo Temple by Kawase Hasui (1883-1957)
Wood block print on paper, published by Watanabe Shozaburo

Curated by Suewhei Shieh, the exhibition featured classically printed ukiyo-e woodblocks as well as modern Japanese handmade papers using various fibers.

Visiting the Shrine by Totoya Hokkei (1780-1850)
20th Century Impression from early 19th century design woodblock print

I appreciated the detailed history of each print as well as the printmaking technique used.

detail of Totoya Hokkei's Visiting Shrine

In the above print we see the embossing technique Karazuri or gauffrage.  Karazuri is a method of blind embossing (with a steady hand, pressing the paper with a barren into the non-inked surface and getting a 3-dimensional-like effect).

Sudden Rain by Utagawa Hiroshige (Ando) (1797-1858)

One of my favorite prints was Sudden Rain by Hiroshige which was a good example of a multicolor ukiyo-e print created in a traditional collaborative method.