Modern Japanese Prints - The Sōsaku Hanga Movement

Post-war independence and experimentation in Japanese printmaking

Modern Japanese printmaking underwent a dramatic transformation in the post-war decades with the rise of sōsaku hanga (創作版画) - the “creative print” movement. Centred in the heart of the Shōwa (1926-1989) era, unlike the collaborative model of ukiyo-e (浮世絵) or the publisher-led approach of shin-hanga (新版画), sōsaku hanga put authorship back in the artist’s hands: conceived, carved, and printed by the same maker. Individual expression moved to the centre of practice, and the artist’s studio became the workshop and the press. Pioneering figures such as Onchi Kōshirō (恩地孝四郎), Hiratsuka Un’ichi (平塚運一), and peers who exhibited internationally helped redefine Japanese printmaking in the mid-20th century and set a new standard for artist-made editions. Their studios fostered autonomy, experimentation, mentorship, and resilient post-war networks.

While woodblock prints remained central, artists pushed form, colour, texture, and technique - exploring silkscreen, wood-engraving, mixed processes, embossing, and innovative surface effects alongside traditional water-based printing. Subjects ranged from rural landscapes and post-war city life to abstraction and reimagined folklore, reflecting a period of rapid social change. International exhibitions, print societies, and dialogue with Western modernism expanded audiences and sharpened ideas, introducing modern Japanese prints to viewers worldwide. This collection highlights a historically pivotal era in the evolution of Japanese prints - works that bridge tradition and modernity, and form the foundations of the vitality seen in the emerging era of contemporary Japanese printmaking today.