Moku Hanga Woodblock Printing
In Japan, the technique of woodblock print is called moku hanga or simply hanga. This is essentially the same process which is known as woodcut in Western printmaking.
In China, the method of using woodblocks for printing had been in use for centuries to print books. As early as the eighth century, woodblock-printed Chinese books were known to exist in Japan.
Based on this fact, it may perhaps be kind of surprising that the method was only fully adopted in Japan at a much later date, during what is called the Edo period (1603-1867).
The woodblock print technique is best known for its use in the artistic genre called ukiyo-e. Still, it was also used for book printing in the Edo period.
Ukiyo-e
The artistic genre called ukiyo-e is Japanese woodblock prints and paintings produced from the senventeenth to the twentieth centuries. Ukiyo-e (sometimes incorrectly spelled ukiyoe) is the main (artistic) woodblock print genre in Japan.
You will typically find elaborate motifs of city life, landscapes, tales from Japanese history and theatres. Erotic motifs were also very common.
Back then, a Japanese woodblock print was always rather affordable, simply because they could be mass-produced. The ukiyo-e were meant largely for townspeople, since they could — in general — not afford an original painting.
Even today, you can get hold of one of these fantastic, original prints without breaking the bank. As someone interested in Japanese home decor, I’m sure you’ll agree that this is good news?
Remember – the Japanese idea of decorating your home is not to have lots of anything… Just one strategically placed piece (or at the most very few pieces) is the way to go in order to add space and openness.
You’re welcome to read more about decor in Japanese homes and the traditions and flavors of Japan here: Japanese Home Decor – Japanese Decorations & Paintings – Japanese Style Furniture – Japanese Decorating & Ancient Culture – Japanese Wall Decor & Traditional Japanese Decor – Japanese Bedrooms – Japanese Rooms – Japanese Shoji Screen – Japanese Futon – Japanese Wall Fans.
Fine Art and Design Resources
The Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress houses more than 2500 Japanese woodblock prints and drawings, dating from the seventeenth to the twentieth centuries, by such artists as Hiroshige, Kuniyoshi and Sadahide.
Tacoma Art Museum
We have rotated out the two Japanese woodblock prints to minimize their exposure to light, and replaced them with two different Japanese prints. The checklist is updated to reflect the changes. To keep them easy to find, the Japanese (…)
Rare Japanese Woodblock Print
Connellsville native and Pitt alumnus Barry Rosensteel, a devotee of Japanese art, has donated more than 100 rare Japanese woodblock prints to Pitt’s University Library System. The colorful prints, produced between the 18th and (…)
Ukiyo-e
(…) Thus the term ukiyo-e soon began to be used for these prints. They were not considered objects of art at all, but merely diversions and ways of conveying information. They were often given free or sold very inexpensively.
Pictures of the Floating World
I went into the museum not knowing the first thing about the art of ukiyo-e, otherwise known as "pictures of the floating world." The museum was displaying 200 works of Hiroshige loaned out by the Honolulu Academy of the Arts.
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The decor that is used to decorate an oriental style home is very ornate and colorful. Traditions from the Orient are displayed throughout these pieces. The pieces themselves can be found on walls in the form of artwork, displayed as statues or other ’show’ pieces, or the designs could be shown through the very furniture that is placed throughout the home.
In Asian Decor both Japanese and Chinese philosophies believe that our most basic need is for space. Our spirits need room to breathe, move, and think with ease.
A traditional Japanese futon set generally consists of a mattress called a shikibuton, a comforter called Kakebuton, blanket called m fu, and a pillow called makura. The makura is usually filled with beans, buckwheat chaff, or plastic beads. The 4 to 5 cm thick futon itself is flat, having a fabric exterior stuffed with cotton and/or synthetic batting.
There are three main elements of a western futon – the frame, the mattress and the cover and pillows.
If you have a difficult of finding the way out from the problem of finding a corner to sleep in a very small rooms, you are not alone! As there are also millions of people who have same problem who are living in cramped quarters, whether they are college students, have too many roommates, or living in a tiny room space.
How to add a touch of japanese elegance to your home with these traditional and functional room dividers.
There are many ways that a person can choose to decorate their home, a room in their home, or an office. There is a way that is becoming more and more popular in decorating any type of room, and that is with Japanese Shoji Screens. Japanese Shoji screens are the most popular form of room dividers in the western world and can be used for purely decorative purposes or as room dividers that decorate. There are many ways to decorate and/or use Japanese Shoji Screens in any space to make that space more tranquil and fresh. These types of room dividers are light and airy, giving small rooms private sections while keeping the feeling of openness.
There are several important things that you should remember when you use a Shoji screen to divide a room.
Japan has both modern and traditional styles of housing. The traditional Japanese house is a beautiful sight to behold. Made of wood and paper, it has an organic feel and look that can be found nowhere else. Individual houses in Japan are either single or two stories.
Even modern Japanese houses tend to have one traditional Japanese room, called a washitsu. This room is sparsely if at all furnished, and has tatami mats on the floor. In a traditional Japanese house, this style may be reflected throughout the home. Tatami are thick straw mats covered with stitched, woven rushes. Tatami are smooth and firm enough to walk on, while making a sleeping surface more comfortable than wood or stone.
Japanese design and culture has now entered bedroom decor. This is for good reason: Many people find its simple lines soothing. Since your bedroom is your innermost retreat, your sanctuary, it should offer you comfort as you enter the room. By utilizing sparing, but luxurious, Japanese decor and design, you can create a relaxing, meditative, bedroom. How do you go about creating a Japanese styled bedroom? Let’s find out.
After a stressful and busy day, wouldn’t it be nice to come home to and rest in a quiet and uncluttered bedroom? This feel is what a Japanese bedroom gives. These Zen designs are proven to provide the sense of tranquility and relaxation that you need. Here are some Japanese bedroom designs that you may use for your own bedroom.
Before I describe these unique and beautiful works of art, exclusively Japanese, I feel that you need to know more about Lacquer, the extraordinary medium that was used. Only then will you fully appreciate these brilliant creations.
They often applied the colours in layers, so that once carved, these colours would be revealed. One particular technique is known as ‘Guri’ Lacquer: the colours mostly red and black were built up in layers, and then a geometric or symmetrical pattern would be carved with a deep `V’ shaped cut, so that all these alternating layers would be revealed within the cuts. The Chinese also painted, incised and inlaid Lacquer with iridescent pieces of shell, but these works were treasured by the Japanese often more so, than by the Chinese.
It had to be applied in very thin layers, otherwise it runs, and if too thick, will not harden at all but will just form a skin. After each layer had hardened, all the time in a dust free area, it was carefully rubbed down before another layer would be added..jpg)
These designs and amazing pictures were created purely, by very skilfully pouring various grades of fine metal and pigment powders on to the wet Lacquer, so that they would sink in. There was no way of correcting any errors! Extra layers of the background colour, normally black, would be added over the picture. Then by carefully polishing down until the picture reappears, the top edges of the metal particles would be made to glisten from the polish, providing brilliance impossible to achieve any other way. The last very thin coats would be of the purest clear Lacquer, providing the mirror like high gloss finish.
One of our favourite examples of this type of work in this collection is a fine Box that appears as two overlapping boxes. One shows the figure of the swordsmith forging the sword ‘Little Fox’, assisted by the Fox Spirit in the guise of a woman; the other has an overall design of a mass of gold and coloured flowers.
The development of pottery generated a highly developed culture and lifestyle among the people of the era. They displayed great diversity and complexity in the art. The products of this age highlighted a lot of elaborate decoration and an ascending order of development. The people thrived on hunting, fishing and gathering edible roots that still form a major part of 
The influx of Chinese culture into Korea and thereafter into Japan through invasion is amply proved by the iron and bronze implements that indicate traces of Han culture. The 
The Yamato kings or kimi focused their rule around Mount Miwa, their object of worship. The secular and sacred functions unified in the sacred connection with Mount Miwa. During this time, agricultural techniques were quite advanced. The people used iron tools for cultivation, leveling and flooding paddy fields. The legends extolled in the Kojiki and Nihon shoki, record Yamato expansion throughout the archipelago. The religious focus at this time was the Isonokami Shrine at Tenri. Most of the treasured items found at the Isonokami Shrine were in fact the weapons! The seven-pronged sword or shichishito is a part of National Treasure.
As soon as you start looking into purchasing Japanese styled furniture and decor, you are going to be confronted with a lot of different categories. In this article, we take a look at Edo furnishings.
It was characterized by understatement, simplicity, and restrained elegance. It was very much influenced by Zen and the harmony of nature. Much of the pieces were crafted from fine mahogany and beech. The beech tree made up the majority of the workable wood in the area, and was used frequently.
In the West, Edo furnishings are often used as a room theme. Bedrooms are especially popular. The Bedroom was always considered the most important room in Japanese culture, and still plays a more important role in modern Japanese home design than is usual in the West. The result is that Edo beds and bedroom furniture represent some of the most popular and finely crafted examples of the Edo theme. It has been found that Edo pieces do not necessarily have to constitute the entire theme of a room, but rather they blend nicely with other types of furniture.
and all thanks to my dearest Siti Shafariaton who told me about this job and she was the one who recommended me to this job. I’m now working part time at this japanese shop called Tatami Shop 
Japanese paintings started off taking their inspiration from the Chinese. Today that still remains the case, but women and landscapes are generally the most popular types of paintings available.
However, the Chinese black ink paintings were not always appreciated by some of the Japanese. A man named Kano Masanobu and his son Kano Motonobu, planned to open up a Kano painting school which was basically a protest against the Chinese black ink method. Both vibrant and bright colors were introduced and they provided inspiration for Ukiyo-e designs.