Inagaki Toshijiro

Inagaki Toshijiro, also known as Nenjiro, was a Kyoto-born printmaker and textile artist who specialized in katazome stencil dyeing. He studied at Kyoto City University of Arts and learned dyeing at the Matsuzakaya department store before devoting himself to art full-time in 1931. Designated an Intangible Cultural Property (Living National Treasure) in 1962, he applied his stencil-dyed textile techniques to woodblock prints, creating stylized designs featuring geometric shapes and unusual gradations that bridge traditional craft and modern sosaku-hanga.

Inagaki Toshijiro was active from 1902 to 1963. They were associated with the Sōsaku-hanga movement.

Inagaki Toshijiro's work was shaped by the Sōsaku-hanga tradition in Japanese woodblock printmaking. Sōsaku-hanga: ## What is sōsaku-hanga? Sōsaku-hanga (創作版画, "creative prints") was a twentieth-century Japanese print movement defined by a single commitment: the artist must design, carve, and print every work alone.

Inagaki Toshijiro's prints frequently feature landscapes, abstract, mount fuji, trees, temples & shrines, animals.

Original prints by Inagaki Toshijiro can be found in collections including wbp, Art Institute of Chicago, Minneapolis Institute of Art, ukiyo-e.org.

Inagaki Toshijiro was designated a Living National Treasure in 1955 for his mastery of katazome (stencil dyeing) applied to printmaking. His distinctive stencil prints of cats, birds, and natural subjects are highly prized. His most prized cat and animal compositions command $10,000–$40,000. Mid-range works sell for $3,000–$10,000. Smaller prints are available at $500–$3,000. The National Treasure designation and genuine scarcity support premium pricing.