Urushibara Mokuchu_
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Source:
- Harvard Art Museums
Description
A print identified under Urushibara's art name Mokuchu, meaning "silent wood"—an evocative pseudonym for an artist whose craft involved coaxing images from carved wooden blocks. Urushibara adopted this name to distinguish his independent artistic work from his collaborative printing for other artists. The name itself suggests his philosophy: the woodblock is not merely a mechanical tool but a silent partner in creation, its grain, hardness, and texture contributing qualities to the printed image that no other medium can replicate. Under the Mokuchu identity, Urushibara asserted his role as a creative artist rather than a skilled technician executing others' designs.
More Prints by Yoshijiro Urushibara
More Landscapes Prints
Lake Kugushi in Wakasa Province (Wakasa Kugushiko), from the series Souvenirs of Travel I (Tabi miyage dai isshu)"
Wakasa Kugushiko
1920
Color woodblock print; oban
Autumn Maple Leaves at Takao, from the album Eight Views of Kyoto (Kyôto hakkei)
Woodblock print
The Beach at Kaiganji in Sanuki Province (Sanuki Kaiganji no hama), from the series "Collection of Views of Japan II, Kansai Edition (Nihon fukei shu II Kansai hen)"
1934
Color woodblock print; oban
Tea Kettle, section of a sheet from the series "Mirror of Stone Rubbings of Views of the Provinces" (Kohon meihitsu ishizuri kagami)
n.d.
Woodblock print; ishizuri-e, section of harimaze sheet
Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
Urushibara Mokuchu_ was created by Yoshijiro Urushibara (漆原木虫).
Urushibara Mokuchu_ depicts landscapes and figures.