Print from single block
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Source:
- wbp
Key value factors: As self-carved and self-printed works, sosaku-hanga value is tied to the artist's reputation and edition size. Larger formats, earlier editions, and historically significant works command the highest prices.
Printed from a single carved woodblock rather than the multiple blocks typically used for color prints, this work showcases the graphic power available when an image is reduced to one layer of ink on paper. The single-block method strips the printing process to its most fundamental operation: one carved surface, one application of ink, one pressing. The result emphasizes line, texture, and the contrast between printed and unprinted areas. Inagaki's carving for this print must carry the entire image without the support of additional color blocks, requiring every cut to contribute to both the composition's structure and its tonal range. The constraint becomes a creative discipline.
Wakasa Kugushiko
1920
Color woodblock print; oban
Woodblock print
1934
Color woodblock print; oban
n.d.
Woodblock print; ishizuri-e, section of harimaze sheet
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Print from single block was created by Inagaki Toshijiro (稲垣稔次郎).
Print from single block depicts landscapes and abstract.
