IMC 2024 Echizen submission

This print was submitted to the 2024 International Mokuhanga Conference in Echizen, where it appeared in the Asia regional exhibition. The choice of Echizen as host city carries particular significance for any mokuhanga submission: the region has produced [washi](/glossary/washi) for over 1,500 years, and many contemporary mokuhanga practitioners source their [kozo](/glossary/kozo)-fiber paper from Echizen workshops. As with Fujita's IMC contributions, the work uses the water-based woodblock method, in which pigment is mixed with rice paste (nori) and brushed onto carved cherry or shina blocks before being transferred to dampened washi by hand pressure with a [baren](/glossary/baren). The technique permits effects unavailable in oil-based relief printing, including [bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) gradations achieved by varying water and pigment on the block surface, and the deep absorption of color into long-fiber paper. Fujita's repeated participation across IMC cycles — Nara 2021 and Echizen 2024 — situates her practice within the international community that has carried mokuhanga beyond Japan while maintaining dialogue with its country of origin.