Biography
Sonoyama Harumi is a Japanese artist born in 1950 who works in printmaking, contributing to the contemporary mokuhanga and lithographic print traditions in Japan. Sonoyama is known for participating in the landmark collaborative portfolio 'One Hundred Views of Tokyo, Message to the 21st Century' (Tokyo Hyakkei: 21-seiki e no Messēji), a large-scale print project produced between 1989 and 1999 that brought together one hundred Japanese artists to create individual views of Tokyo as the city approached the millennium.
Sonoyama's contribution to the portfolio, 'Kabukiza' (Kabuki Theater), depicts the iconic Kabukiza Theatre in the Ginza district of Tokyo, one of the most recognizable landmarks of traditional Japanese performing arts culture. The lithograph, measuring 68 by 50 centimeters, captures the theater's distinctive architectural presence within the modern urban landscape of Tokyo.
The 'One Hundred Views of Tokyo' portfolio was a conscious echo of Hiroshige's famous 'One Hundred Famous Views of Edo' from the 1850s, reimagined through the lens of contemporary printmakers working across a variety of techniques including woodblock, lithography, etching, and screenprint. The project is now held in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, among other institutions.
Key Facts
- Active Period
- 1950
- Nationality
- 🇯🇵Japan
- Movement
- Contemporary Mokuhanga
Frequently Asked Questions
Sonoyama Harumi is a Japanese artist born in 1950 who works in printmaking, contributing to the contemporary mokuhanga and lithographic print traditions in Japan. Sonoyama is known for participating in the landmark collaborative portfolio 'One Hundred Views of Tokyo, Message to the 21st Century' (Tokyo Hyakkei: 21-seiki e no Messēji), a large-scale print project produced between 1989 and 1999 that brought together one hundred Japanese artists to create individual views of Tokyo as the city approached the millennium.
Sonoyama Harumi was active born in 1950. They were associated with the Contemporary Mokuhanga movement.
Sonoyama Harumi's work was shaped by the Contemporary Mokuhanga tradition in Japanese woodblock printmaking. Contemporary Mokuhanga: Contemporary mokuhanga (literally "wood-block print") encompasses artists working from approximately 1970 to the present who continue or reinvent traditional Japanese woodblock printing techniques.
Sonoyama Harumi's prints frequently feature one hundred views of tokyo, architecture, theater.
Sonoyama Harumi is a contemporary printmaker working in the mokuhanga (Japanese woodblock) tradition. Their work contributes to the living tradition of Japanese woodblock printing. Prices for contemporary mokuhanga prints range from $100 for smaller works to $1,500 for major compositions. Most prints sell in the $180–$600 range. The global mokuhanga community has been growing, with increasing exhibition opportunities and collector interest. Contemporary mokuhanga represents an affordable entry point for collectors.