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
Secret Codes 6
Woodblock print
Zodiac Series - Sagittarius
Woodblock print
Kanjincho
勧進帳
Kappazuri stencil print
Kumadori B
隈取B
Kappazuri stencil print
Shibaraku C
暫C
Kappazuri stencil print
Mutsumi
睦
Kappazuri stencil print
Narukami 4
鳴神4
Kappazuri stencil print
Sukeroku A
助六A
Kappazuri stencil print
Tayu 1
太夫1
Kappazuri stencil print
Family G
Woodblock print
Song of the Sea
Color woodcut
Clouds
Woodblock print
Floating
Woodblock print
From Dark to Light
Woodblock print
Love and Star
Woodblock print
Summer Day
Woodblock print
Echoes IV
Etching with metal leaf
Ratio XX
Etching with metal leaf
Dream
Etching with metal leaf
Ratio XVIII
Etching with metal leaf
Yatsuhashi X
Etching with metal leaf
Untitled
Woodblock print
Ancient Shadow V
Etching with metal leaf
Left Hand
Etching with metal leaf
Tattoo VII
Etching
Silhouette
Woodblock print
Ancient Shadow VII
Etching with gold leaf
Ratio XIII
Etching with metal leaf
Tattoo VIII
Etching
Black Cat
Woodblock print
Yatsuhashi XII
Etching with metal leaf
Untitled
Woodblock print
Work Y-4
Aube Douce
Etching
Aube sur le bois
Etching
Ayumi
Color etching printed on BFK Rives wove paper
Dialogue
Etching
Espoir I
Etching
Paleur lunaire
Etching
Sentier de Printemps
Etching
In The Woodland
Woodblock print with collagraph and metallic leaf
Penetration 103
Lithograph / silkscreen
Cutting Dot-C
Lithograph / silkscreen
Absorption
Woodblock print with collagraph and metallic leaf
Endless Trip II
Woodblock print with collagraph and metallic leaf
Two Sights II
Woodblock print with collagraph and metallic leaf
Beautiful Early Evening
Woodblock print
My Itinerary II
Woodblock print with collagraph and metallic leaf
Water Tale IV
Woodblock print with collagraph and metallic leaf
Chamber Music 1
Woodblock print
Latitude of Time II
Mixed media print (etching, woodblock, collagraph, metallic leaf)
Earth (in Arles)
Woodblock print
Close to Earth
Woodblock print
Good Omen
Woodblock print
Mirage
Woodblock print
In the Dream
Woodblock print
Paradise
Woodblock print
Flirting Waves (Nami no Tawamure)
波の戯れ
Woodblock print with embossing
Blue Dream
Woodblock print
Zanshin
残心
Pencil, Japanese paper, mixed-media
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.