#japanese artist and printmaker

[raiko-huyiro]

Yoshida Tōshi

1911 - 1995

[ancientsstudies]

Hasui Kawase.

[the-cricket-chirps]

Kawase Hasui (1883-1957)

Autumn in Oirase

1933

[uwmspeccoll]

Staff Pick of the Week

My staff pick this week is the trade edition of The Tale of the Shining Princess by Japanese-born writer Hisako Matsubara (b.1935) and Japanese-Canadian artist-printmaker Naoko Matsubara (b.1937), published by Kodansha International LTD. Tokyo, Japan in 1966. 

As a artist-printmaker and bookmaker who makes woodcuts, I am greatly inspired by Naoko’s prints. Naoko Matsubara’s work carries on traditions of Japanese printmaking while having its own contemporary flavor. Her woodcuts are ecstatic, they are vibrating with movement. Her use of bold shapes and the white line of the the carving tool makes the most of what woodcut has to offer. In the book form, the active images carry the reader’s eyes through the book space. Her use of negative space activates the page. Additionally, her woodcuts have translated beautifully to commercial printing. 

The Matsubara sisters are daughters of a senior Shinto priest, and were raised in Kyoto. Both studied, lived, and worked in the United States. Hisako received her Master of Arts degree from Pennsylvania State College, moving to Germany where she continued her studies and became a prominent writer, publishing her work in Japanese, English, and German. In the 1980s she moved back to the United States, this time to California where she worked at Stanford University. 

Naoko received her Master of Fine Arts from Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh, now Carnegie Mellon University. After her studies she traveled across Europe and Asia. She returned to the United States and became the personal assistant to the artist and wood engraver Fritz Eichenberg, an artist who has been featured many times on our blog. Naoko taught at Pratt University in New York and at the University of Rohde Island. She also lived in Cambridge, Massachusetts for a time. Naoko is currently living and working in Canada in Oakville, Ontario, where she continues to work and exhibit nationally. 

The work of both Hisako and Naoko have had great influence inside the United States and around the world. So lets celebrate their accomplishments! 

This book has end sheets of mulberry paper with inclusions of Bamboo leaves, the cover is a red textured paper with a gold stamped design by Naoko. 

View some of our other AAPI selections for this month.

View our other Staff Picks.

- Teddy, Special Collections Graduate Intern

[sai-aeko]

Fumi Yanagimoto

Japanese artist printmaker

[artandinnovate]

Found some beautiful Totoya Hokkei prints at a Paris flea market.

[homoesia]

(㇏(•̀ᵥᵥ•́)ノ)

🩸🩸🩸🩸

[internationalemeteorologie]

Hiroshi Yoshida

Fishes of Honolulu (Honolulu Suizokukan). 1925

[rayleeschobel]

A real time print pull!

I hope you can see just how thin this paper is, because it’s insane. Ten gsm is definitely a bit too thin a paper for my taste, but the paper was bought so it’s getting used.

Each copy of this print is taking me about an hour to transfer since I’m doing it by hand with varying tools and pressures- all change in ink color/value are due to whatever tool I used in each spot. My go-to tools right now, in order from lightest to darkest transfer, are a speedball print baron, a wooden print baron, a wooden spoon, and a bone folder. My bone folder specifically is my precious little baby that probably has way too much sentimental value already attributed to it.

[door]

Matsubara Naoko (b 1937), Conservatory II, block 1962, print 2007

woodblock print on paper, H: 22 in. x W: 28 in. (55.88 x 71.12 cm)

[raiko-huyiro]

Honjō Shigenaga Parrying an Exploding Shell

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

1798-1861

[sarahgibsonart]

Selection of lino and Japanese vinyl designs I've been working on. I'm planning on using the plates to press into clay to combine printmaking with ceramics.

[the-cricket-chirps]

Koho Shoda 庄田耕峯

Moonlit Sea

ca. 1930s

[dreamweaversfavsandthoughs]

Some of my personal artwork in process

[vitali-s]

"FOREVER " Original etching. Aquatint, Size: 11,6"x11,6"

[tmarshconnors]

Shin-hanga.

Shin-hanga, or “new prints,” represents a revival of traditional Japanese woodblock printing techniques in the early 20th century. I’ve always been drawn to this art form for its stunning beauty and the stories it tells.

Shin-hanga artists, influenced by Western art styles, combined traditional Japanese aesthetics with modern techniques. The result is a unique blend that captures the essence of Japan’s landscapes, people, and culture.

Each print is not just a visual feast; it also reflects the artist’s perspective, showcasing Japan’s rich cultural heritage. Studying shin-hanga allows us to appreciate the intricacies of printmaking while also understanding the socio-cultural context in which these works were created.