IMC 2024 Echizen submission

This print represents Tsuji's contribution to the Juried International Mokuhanga Exhibition at the Fifth International Mokuhanga Conference, held in Echizen, Fukui Prefecture in 2024. Selected for the Asia regional section, the work exemplifies contemporary mokuhanga practice within Japan, where water-based pigments are applied to carved cherry or shina blocks and transferred to [washi](/glossary/washi) paper using the [baren](/glossary/baren). Echizen carries particular resonance as a venue, given the region's centuries-old reputation for handmade washi production—the paper substrate central to mokuhanga technique. Juried IMC exhibitions emphasize technical command of traditional methods including [bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) gradations, kentō registration, and layered transparent inkings, alongside contemporary subject matter and compositional approaches. Tsuji's participation places him within the active network of Japanese practitioners maintaining mokuhanga as a living tradition, in dialogue with the international community organized through the International Mokuhanga Association rather than the historical [ukiyo-e](/glossary/ukiyo-e) workshop system. The submission reflects his standing among contemporary peers continuing water-based woodblock printing in its country of origin.