Kosaka Gajin

Kosaka Gajin was a sosaku-hanga printmaker born in Kyoto in 1877 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 museums including the British Museum and the Cincinnati Art Museum.

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 Art Institute of Chicago, British Museum, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, ukiyo-e.org.