Japanese Woodblock

Woodblock printing in Japan is called 'mokuhanga'.


The technique differs from the usual woodblock printing that it uses water based inks rather than using oil based inks. The difference in visuals is that it provides a more vivid colour and range of colours, glazes and transparency. Woodblock printing had been used in China for centuries to print books, long before the advent of movable type, but was widely adopted in Japan during the Edo period (1603–1868).

The Edo period was a period in Japanese history where the society was under the rule of the countries 300 regional daimyo which are powerful Japanese lords.

Woodblock-printed books from Chinese Buddhist temples were seen in Japan as early as the eighth century.

early self portrait of Hokusai in 1839

A famous early 18th century actor print of the Torii school

Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾 北斎 was a Japanese artist, ukiyo-e painter and printmaker of the Edo period. Born in Edo (now Tokyo), Hokusai is best known as author of the woodblock print series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji 富嶽三十六景 which is a series of landscape prints includes the internationally iconic print, The Great Wave off Kanagawa.

Above are a selection of his works, his work was very inspirational for a lot of artists. They are so detailed, soft and peaceful with soft colours and calming landscapes. 

Hokusai's most famous piece of work that is recognised worldwide is The Great Wave which is shown numerous amounts of times above. Under the Wave off Kanagawa is part of a series of prints titled Thirty-six views of Mount Fuji, which Hokusai made between 1830 and 1833. It is a polychrome (coloured) woodblock print, made of ink and colour on paper that is approximately 10 x 14 inches. All of the images in the series feature a glimpse of the mountain, but as you can see from this example, Mount Fuji does not always dominate the frame. 

Mount Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan and has long been considered sacred. Hokusai is often described as having a personal fascination with the mountain, which sparked his interest in making this series. However, he was also responding to a boom in domestic travel and the corresponding market for images of Mount Fuji.

Ukiyo-e is the name for Japanese woodblock prints made during the Edo Period. Ukiyo-e, which originated as a Buddhist term, means "floating world" and refers to the impermanence of the world. The earliest prints were made in only black and white, but later, as is evident from Hokusai’s work, additional colours were added. A separate block of wood was used for each colour.