Haku Maki - 75-60

Modern | Sōsaku Hanga Woodblock Print

Haku Maki’s 1975 woodblock print 75-60 assembles seal-script forms into a compact zodiac panel. Rendered in silvery gray and jade green against a black background - and punctuated by a small yellow "Sun" - this piece references the Year of the Ram, Horse, Bird & Pig in a wonderful calligraphic composition. A lovely little piece. 🐏🐎🐦🐖✨

• Year & Edition: 1975 · 75-60 · Ed. 235/301.
• Medium: Woodblock.
• Dimensions: Paper H: 15.00 cm × W: 15.00 cm; Image H: 10.00 cm × W: 10.00 cm.
• Condition: Excellent; crisp impression and pristine paper.
• Notes: Maki’s “Mini Zodiac,” as Daniel Tretiak notes. A really beautiful print that echoes Maki’s 1968 Animal Song/Zodiac series. The image depicts kanji for four years of the Zodiac calendar - Ram, Horse, Bird & Pig. The bigger sibling to San Mon Ban No. 41. Part of a small “Mid-Summer” series in which Maki elaborated upon his favorite San Mon Ban 2″ × 2″ motifs. Producing slightly larger prints, Tretiak’s The Life and Works of Haku mentions other examples - 75-55 (Grapes) and 75-61 (Tree) - alongside this piece to encompass the seasonal theme.

About the Artist

Haku Maki (1924-2000) was an influential Japanese printmaker known for merging traditional kanji and ancient Chinese seal scripts with abstract, modern compositions. A self-taught artist and wartime survivor, Maki gained international acclaim through innovative cement-relief embossing techniques and vibrant colours. His distinctive works - including series like Poem, Persimmons, and Festive Wine - are celebrated globally, combining deep cultural resonance with contemporary abstract aesthetics. [ ← View All Works by Haku Maki]