Kumiko Igarashi

Kumiko Igarashi (born 1951, Fukui Prefecture) is a Japanese printmaker working in lithography, with a sustained practice currently based in Tokyo. Her selection in the 68th CWAJ Print Show in 2025 with 'forest summer,' a 77 × 57 cm lithograph, places her among the established lithographic artists circulating through the principal Tokyo-area juried exhibition channels in the mid-2020s.

Igarashi's training came through the lineage of Nagaei Kenji, under whom she studied. Direct apprenticeship-style training under a senior printmaker — rather than formal degree program training — is an important secondary track for Japanese contemporary print education, and Igarashi's affiliation with this lineage situates her within a particular technical and aesthetic line of descent in postwar Japanese lithography.

Igarashi is a member of the Jiyu Bijutsu Kyokai (Free Art Association), one of Japan's principal independent art associations and a long-running organizational alternative to the more conservative Nitten and Kokuten groups. The Jiyu Bijutsu Kyokai was founded in 1937 as a forum for artists working outside the official salon system, and its annual exhibitions function as an important independent showcase for both painting and printmaking. Membership is competitive and Igarashi's affiliation with the group confirms her status as an established working artist outside the academic and gallery channels alone.

Lithography in contemporary Japanese practice is a substantial medium, with active studios at all the major Tokyo art universities (Tama Art University, Musashino Art University, Tokyo University of the Arts) and at independent workshops. The 77 × 57 cm sheet size of 'forest summer' is a moderate-large lithographic stone or plate, requiring substantial press capacity and workshop time. Igarashi's title 'forest summer' (along with the seasonal naming pattern) suggests a landscape or seasonal series in the broader tradition of Japanese print landscape, though working in lithography rather than the traditional woodblock medium.

The CWAJ catalog assigned 'forest summer' Print No. 045 in the 68th edition, placing Igarashi within the 2025 cohort of selected printmakers. CWAJ selection is competitive — the 68th Print Show drew submissions from across Japan, and inclusion in the catalog confirms ongoing professional engagement with the medium.

Further biographical detail beyond the CWAJ Print Show entry — Igarashi's broader exhibition history, museum holdings, and Jiyu Bijutsu Kyokai exhibition record — is not currently surfaced through the public-facing English-language channels. The Jiyu Bijutsu Kyokai member directory and Tokyo lithography workshop records would be the principal next-step research targets for extending this bio.