The shin hanga ("new print") movement flourished in Japan for almost fifty years after being set in motion and nurtured by publisher Watanabe Shozaburo (1885–1962). Employing the traditional "ukiyo-e quartet"—a production system consisting of artists, carvers, printers, and publishers—shin hanga attracted Western as well as native artists. The studio teams created woodblock prints that updated traditional ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world") prints by including Kabuki actor portraits, "beauties," and landscapes and other nature themes, often birds and flowers. With lavish illustrations and expert commentary, Shin Hanga: The New Print Movement of Japan details the shin hanga movement and presents splendid reproductions of works by its principal artists.

Chronicles the 20th-century shin-hanga ("new prints") movement of Japanese woodblock printing, based on an exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art between January and June 1996. Includes many high-quality color and bandw illustrations, and essays on specific images, the cultural and historical context of the images, and the history of critical evaluation of shin-hanga, plus an exhibition checklist. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

The art of Japanese woodblock printing from the 16th century to the 18th century is beautifully celebrated in this book. Explains the cultural traditions of Japan as well as interprets the prints.

Tradition confronts modernity in early-twentieth-century Japanese woodblock print depictions of women

"[An] impressive volume, with a valuable amount of information not otherwise available in one source." --Choice Companion volume to Merritt's Modern Japanese Woodblock Prints. This volume is a reference work that is both comprehensive and rigorously chronological.

Featuring over 100 unique prints, Modern Japanese Prints is a testament to the continuity of Japanese art and creativity. By far the most vitally creative group of artists working in Japan today, modern print-makers are truly international in appeal. Although they owe much of their heritage to the famous ukiyoe techniques of the past, they depart from their forebears in at least two important respects. In the first place, whereas in the ancient ukiyoe tradition a print was the joint production of three men— the artist-designer, the artisan who carved the blocks, and the printer—these modern artists perform all these functions themselves, thus satisfying their demands for individual artistic expression at every step of the creative process. Another distinguishing feature of this artistic school is that its inspiration is derived neither solely from its own Japanese past nor solely from the West. This book carefully traces the history of the modern print movement through detailed discussions of the life and work of twenty-nine of its most noteworthy and representative artists. It describes vicissitudes which the movement has undergone and the high artistic ideals which have motivated its members in spite of public apathy and the hostility of the traditionalists.

A selection of one hundred masterpieces by Kawase Hasui (1883-1957), one of the most important Japanese landscape artists of the twentieth century. Large full colour illustrations show the enormous variety of snow, moon and rain scenes for which Hasui became famous. Introduction to Kawase Hasui by Ken Brown. (See also our publication 'Kawase Hasui The complete woodblock prints', 2003). Kawase Hasui (1883-1957) is considered one of the most important Japanese landscape artists of the 20th century. His prints, produced under the guidance and stern eye of his publisher, Watanabe Shôzaburô, are the modern continuation of the unforgettable works by Hiroshige and Hokusai, the 19th-century masters of this genre. As none other, he could evoke Japan of the eventful interwar period. Hasui's work enjoyed huge popularity from his very first print of 1918. In contrast to his illustrious 19th-century predecessors, his work was immediately successful in the rest of the world. His publisher, Watanabe Shôzaburô, recognised the enormous potential of the American market, which resulted in Hasui's prints fetching high prices at auctions in New York as early as the 1920s. After the Second World War, his prints were highly desired and sought after collectible items among the American occupying forces in Japan. Hasui's work has always been greatly appreciated in Japan: He was acknowledged as a 'Living National Treasure' in 1956.