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
Untitled (inuzuka-taisui)
Woodblock print
Untitled (inuzuka-taisui)
Woodblock print
Unknown, Abstract
Woodblock print
Untitled
Untitled (hirano-hakuho)
Woodblock print
Untitled (kitano-tsunetomi)
Woodblock print
Untitled (ishikawa-toraji)
Woodblock print
Composition with Leaves, Shôwa period, dated 1940
Woodblock print
Untitled
1965
Lithograph on paper; edition 10/15
Untitled (noel-nouet)
Woodblock print
Untitled (terashima-shimei)
Woodblock print
Untitled (hodo-nishimura)
Woodblock print
Untitled (hodo-nishimura)
Woodblock print
Untitled (hodo-nishimura)
Woodblock print
![[abstracted block tower] by Nakao Yoshitaka](https://1.api.artsmia.org/800/136050.jpg)
[abstracted block tower]
1956
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Untitled (shintaro-okazaki)
Woodblock print
Untitled (hodo-nishimura)
Woodblock print
Untitled (hodo-nishimura)
Woodblock print
Untitled (yoshimune-arai)
Woodblock print
Untitled (yoshimune-arai)
Woodblock print
Untitled (yoshimune-arai)
Woodblock print
Untitled (yoshimune-arai)
Woodblock print
Untitled (yoshimune-arai)
Woodblock print
Untitled (yoshimune-arai)
Woodblock print
Untitled (yoshimune-arai)
Woodblock print
Untitled (yoshimune-arai)
Woodblock print
Untitled (yoshimune-arai)
Woodblock print
Untitled (yoshimune-arai)
Woodblock print
Patterns of Yayoi
1784-1785
Untitled (yoshimune-arai)
Woodblock print
Untitled (yoshimune-arai)
Woodblock print
Untitled (yoshimune-arai)
Woodblock print
Chrysanthemums and Bee, from an untitled series of Large Flowers
Woodblock print
Untitled (hiromitsu-nakazawa)
Woodblock print
Untitled (hiromitsu-nakazawa)
Woodblock print
Untitled (hiromitsu-nakazawa)
Woodblock print
Untitled (soseki-komori)
Woodblock print
Untitled (soseki-komori)
Woodblock print
Untitled (soseki-komori)
Woodblock print
Untitled (soseki-komori)
Woodblock print
Untitled (soseki-komori)
Woodblock print
Untitled (soseki-komori)
Woodblock print
Untitled (soseki-komori)
Woodblock print
Untitled (soseki-komori)
Woodblock print
Untitled (soseki-komori)
Woodblock print
Untitled (soseki-komori)
Woodblock print
Untitled (soseki-komori)
Woodblock print
Untitled (soseki-komori)
Woodblock print
Untitled (soseki-komori)
Woodblock print
Untitled (soseki-komori)
Woodblock print
Untitled (soseki-komori)
Woodblock print
Untitled (soseki-komori)
Woodblock print
Untitled (soseki-komori)
Woodblock print
Untitled (nomura-yoshimitsu)
Woodblock print
Untitled (nomura-yoshimitsu)
Woodblock print
Untitled (nomura-yoshimitsu)
Woodblock print
Untitled (nomura-yoshimitsu)
Woodblock print
Untitled (nomura-yoshimitsu)
Woodblock print
Untitled (nomura-yoshimitsu)
Woodblock print
Untitled (nomura-yoshimitsu)
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.