Abstract Prints (2049)
Abstract prints represent a revolutionary departure in Japanese printmaking, emerging primarily through the sosaku-hanga (creative prints) movement of the mid-twentieth century. While traditional ukiyo-e and shin-hanga were rooted in representational imagery, abstract works embraced non-figurative composition, exploring color, texture, and form for their own expressive potential. The abstract turn in Japanese printmaking gained international recognition in the 1950s and 1960s, when artists like Yoshida Hodaka, Maki Haku, and Tajima Hiroyuki won major prizes at the Sao Paulo and Venice Biennales. These artists developed distinctive approaches to abstraction — from Maki's layered cement-and-ink surfaces to Tajima's vibrant geometric compositions — that drew on Japanese aesthetic principles while engaging with global modernist movements. The woodblock medium proved uniquely suited to abstract expression, offering possibilities for textural experimentation through woodgrain impression, selective inking, and the interaction between handmade washi paper and carved surfaces. Many abstract printmakers exploited the material qualities of the block itself, allowing the wood's natural grain to become an active compositional element rather than merely a vehicle for an image.
Artists Known for Abstract
Natu-14
Mokuhanga (Japanese water-based multi-block woodcut)
Victorian Invention, The Pedspeed (AP)
Woodblock print
Poem 13
Woodblock print
Poem 70-2 (TEN) 141/202
Woodblock print
Poem 71-55
Woodblock print
Work. 73-18
Woodblock print
Untitled (maki-haku)
Woodblock print
Bellerophon
Shōwa period, dated 1965?
Woodblock print; ink on paper with signature reading "Hideo Hagiwara"
Face No. 5
1991
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Crystal
Woodblock print
Private-7
Mokuhanga (Japanese water-based multi-block woodcut)
Natu-2
Mokuhanga (Japanese water-based multi-block woodcut)
Kou '07
2007
Mokuhanga (Japanese water-based multi-block woodcut)
Numazu: Latticework Tile Wall
Woodblock print
Tunagaru (Connection)
つながる
Mokuhanga (Japanese water-based multi-block woodcut)
Open Secret (35/50)
Woodblock print
Breath II (AP)
Woodblock print
Untitled (oda-mayumi)
Woodblock print
Seasonal Poem (2)
1999
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Poem 69 - 9
1969
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Work 61 - E
1961
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Untitled
1865-1875
Natu-13
Mokuhanga (Japanese water-based multi-block woodcut)
![Fantasy in White (1) (Shiro no genso [1]) by Hideo Hagiwara](https://www.artic.edu/iiif/2/78ba1ff1-87e2-67d6-938b-8144016f4850/full/843,/0/default.jpg)
Fantasy in White (1) (Shiro no genso [1])
1962
Color woodblock print; edition 10/50
Memory No. 20
1995
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Star Dust 1
1964
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper with mica
Blue Wind A
Woodblock print
Sono-9
Mokuhanga (Japanese water-based multi-block woodcut)
Omou-2
Mokuhanga (Japanese water-based multi-block woodcut)
Poem 68-44
Woodblock print
Poem 72-42
Woodblock print
Work B
Woodblock print
Playground
Woodblock print
Untitled (unichi-hiratsuka)
Woodblock print
Asa (Morning)
朝
Mokuhanga (Japanese water-based multi-block woodcut)
Untitled (hideo-hagiwara)
Woodblock print
Poem 70-47
Woodblock print
Poem-7
20th century
Color woodblock print; edition 2/100
Work 73-35 (Space)
Woodblock print
Work - Ho
c. 1962
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Midas
Shōwa period, dated 1965?
Woodblock print; ink on paper with signature reading "Hideo Hagiwara"
Paradise (Rakuen)
Woodblock print
![Soil (3) (Dojo [3]), Damp Zone (Shitchitai) by Hideo Hagiwara](https://www.artic.edu/iiif/2/72e6d234-895b-8342-6083-79498ab9ac8d/full/843,/0/default.jpg)
Soil (3) (Dojo [3]), Damp Zone (Shitchitai)
1960
Color woodblock print; edition 7/30
Kimono Textile
Woodblock print
Dirt
Woodblock print
Benibe B
1961
Color woodblock print; edition 1/20
Green Shade
Woodblock print
Stone Door
Woodblock print
Fantasy in White
Woodblock print
Midnight
Shōwa period, dated 1959
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Mask No.12 (Kamen No. 12)
1964
Color woodblock print; edition 10/50
Milky Way
1959
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Stone and Sand (Ishi to suna)
Woodblock print
The Sky is Aflame
1981–86
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper with mica
Where
1972
Color woodcut
Three Eyes- oban
Woodblock print
A Hunting Ground
Woodblock print
Melodious Plane
Woodblock print
Mystery
Woodblock print
Prayer
Woodblock print
Related Subjects
Frequently Asked Questions
Abstract prints represent a revolutionary departure in Japanese printmaking, emerging primarily through the sosaku-hanga (creative prints) movement of the mid-twentieth century. While traditional ukiyo-e and shin-hanga were rooted in representational imagery, abstract works embraced non-figurative composition, exploring color, texture, and form for their own expressive potential.
Maki Haku, Onchi Koshiro, and Nana Shiomi are among the artists most associated with abstract in our collection. Browse the full list of artists who explored this subject above.
Hanga currently catalogues 2049 prints tagged with abstract, spanning ukiyo-e, shin-hanga, and sōsaku-hanga traditions where applicable.