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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