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
Lucky Kimono 2
c. 1975–2025
Woodblock print
Tabi 41
37/200, 1995
Woodblock print
Morning 35
Woodblock print
Nostalgia 2
Woodblock print
Silence D
Woodblock print
Shin V
Print on washi
Monologue
Woodcut/etching on washi
Three Eyes
Woodblock print
Friends (W)
Woodblock print
Fantasy A 50-30
Woodblock print
Fallen Leaves A
Woodblock print
Green Green
1995, unlimited
Woodblock print
Happy Kimono 6
60/150, 2007
Woodblock print
Lucky Hashi 3
23/150, 2004
Woodblock print
Megumi-Ichiban
5/119, 2003
Woodblock print
Amano, Kunihiro
Woodblock print
Morning 13
Woodblock print
Face
Woodblock print
Dream Games 11 (15/50)
Woodblock print
Cape - A
January 1963
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Within Living Memory 2
Woodblock print
Grove
Woodblock print
Untitled (PATinKyoto 2022)
Water-based woodblock print on washi
Friend W
Woodblock print
Pose (13) B
Woodblock print
Brown Paper (Chairo no kami)
1974
Color woodblock print; edition 2/50
Sprout
Woodblock print
Distant Memory L
1966
Woodblock print, color on paper
Old Memories D, Shôwa period, dated 1966
Woodblock print
Kawaii Tabi
55/200, 2005
Woodblock print
White Morning
20/200, 2005
Woodblock print
Shirt 3
11/11, 1980
Woodblock print
Morning 11
Woodblock print
A Tacit Agreement
1958
Color woodblock print
DAICHI (earth)
Woodblock print
Unknown title
Woodblock print
Fly Away (W)
Woodblock print
Red
1934
Woodblock print
Bottles at the Bar
Woodblock print
Bendbo
1963
Woodblock print, ink and color on embossed paper
Hemei-B
1964
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Map in One's Mind
1953
Woodblock print, ink and color on faux hide
September Story I
75/200, 2008
Woodblock print
Happy Tabi 3
34/200, 2005
Woodblock print
Morning 15
Woodblock print
Fossil 16
1970
Color woodblock print; edition 10/60
Morning 12
Woodblock print
Human Beings
1953
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Yama Kabuto O — 山甲O
Woodblock print
Dream- oban
Woodblock print
Mon & Tosamurai
1957
Whisper Whisper 1
A.P., 2004
Woodblock print
Enclosure 36
Woodblock print
Flying
Woodblock print
Midnight - Ichimokushu Vol 6
Woodblock print
Mou
Woodblock print
stairs
Lithograph and digital print
34 Spirals
Face B- LE
Woodblock print
Creation
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.