Kosaka Gajin

Kosaka Gajin was a sosaku-hanga printmaker born in Kyoto who studied traditional Japanese painting before moving to Tokyo in 1907 to pursue Western-style art. After his home and entire body of work were destroyed in the 1945 bombing of Tokyo, he relocated to Sendai and reinvented himself, developing a distinctive monochrome style using soft outlines on heavily dampened paper. He gained international recognition with solo exhibitions in Los Angeles and Paris, and his works are held by the British Museum and MoMA.

Kosaka Gajin was active from 1877 to 1953. They were associated with the Sōsaku-hanga movement.

Kosaka Gajin'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.

Kosaka Gajin's prints frequently feature landscapes, seascapes, temples & shrines, mountains, figures, abstract.

Original prints by Kosaka Gajin can be found in collections including British Museum, Art Institute of Chicago, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, ukiyo-e.org.

Kosaka Gajin was an important figure in the sosaku-hanga movement, which emphasized the artist's individual creative expression through designing, carving, and printing their own work. Prices range from $300 for smaller works to $12,000 for major compositions. Most prints sell in the $1,000–$5,000 range. Early sosaku-hanga prints from the pre-war period are relatively scarce, supporting firm prices.