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
Espace No 41
1964
A Clear Day
1963
Color woodblock print
Intersection
1955
Color woodblock print
Ansei Uchima
Woodblock print
Water Mirror (B)
1962
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
933 (ed. 20/100)
1986
Woodblock print
South
1971
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Impression of a Violinist
ヴァイオリニストの印象
1946
Color woodblock print
White Diary (34/45)
Woodblock print
Flow
1955
Color woodblock print
L'Amour
1957
Color woodblock print
Fantasy
Woodblock print
Poem of the Horizon
13/30, 1982
Woodblock print
Armoured Men (Yoroeru otokotachi)
1974
Color woodblock print; edition 8/50
Untitled
2002
Mitate No.100 - End of Endless Circle (Musubi)
2016
Saint's Answer
1964
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Tromb
2001
Mezzotint
Hitori dake no ongakkai, C (Concert of One, C)
1967
Woodblock print
Frosty Morn
1962
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper with embossing
Rumor
Woodblock print
Day
Woodblock print
Dream
Woodblock print
Sugibashira (Barking) (100/100)
Woodblock print
Second song (part 4)
July 1957
Woodblock print, ink on paper
Layers
1962
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Moss No. 4
1958
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
.......No.3
Woodblock print
Silence
Woodblock print
Space No. 36
Woodblock print
Space No. 37
1963
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Composition with Leaves
Woodblock print
Space
Family S 69-10
Woodblock print
Offering
Woodblock print
First Love 10
Woodblock print
Hymns
Woodblock print
Surface K.I. - 3
1987
Color woodblock print; artist’s proof
Croissant
2009
Mezzotint with color
Arche
Mezzotint
Shunkokucho
Woodblock print
Back cover (part 10)
July 1957
Woodblock print, ink on paper
Moral (Endurance)
1963
Woodblock print, ink and color on embossed paper
First song (part 3)
July 1957
Woodblock print, ink on paper
Novel Growth No. 2
Woodblock print
Ancient No. 1 (Mukashi No. 1)
1960
Color woodblock print; edition 4/20
Transcendence No. 2
1959
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Blossoms
2003
Woodblock print
Twelve Rings
Woodblock print
First Love 14
Woodblock print
Water 107 Y-P.N.B.W.
2012
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Freeze
Woodblock print
Passed Days
1962
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Untitled (tsuchiya-koitsu)
Woodblock print
Chorus
1967
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper with embossing
Mold (Life) A
1968
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
From Gauge (Return)
1969
Woodblock print, ink and color on embossed paper
Inside and Outside (Round) A
1968
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper with embossing
Mystery No. 1
1961
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Kukan No. 52
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.