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
Fountain of Earth #1
Woodblock print
Bi Bob Puddle Hop
Not set
Woodblock print
Tone
Woodblock print
Sound of East
Woodblock print
Twelve Rings, 69-12
Woodblock print
833
1983
Woodblock print
979
1988
Woodblock print
#926
1986
Woodblock print
Work 413
1975
Woodblock print
Morning Mist
Woodblock print
Untitled (okamoto-yoshimi)
Woodblock print
Untitled (gyokusei-tsukioka)
Woodblock print
Horizon B (Suihen B)
1973
Woodblock print with gold foil
Untitled (kamoshita-choko)
Woodblock print
Touches 2W- C.V.B.
1989
Color woodblock print
Touches W11- C.V.B.
1990
Color woodblock print
Anticipation (Uchinarumono)
1961
Color woodblock print; artist’s proof
Waterslide
mid 20th century
Screen print, ink and color on paper
Untitled (hide-kawanishi)
Woodblock print
Tazura (On the Surface)
Woodblock print
Color-ring (Fragment) D
1968
Woodblock print, ink and color on embossed paper
Join
June 1962
Woodblock print, ink and color on embossed paper
Disjoint
1969
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Fourth song (part 6)
July 1957
Woodblock print, ink on paper
Sad Day (Kanashii hi)
1957
Color woodblock print; edition 21/50
8
November 1968
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
956
1987
Woodblock print
832
1983
Woodblock print
Untitled (okamoto-yoshimi)
Woodblock print
Untitled (ito-nisaburo)
Woodblock print
Peaceful water
43/50, 1976
Woodblock print
Black Marks (artist’s proof)
1999
Woodblock print
Hallelujah
Woodblock print
Jazz
1954
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Untitled, sumi-e 3
Woodblock print
As Darkness Leaves
1990–91
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Inner Motion (Embrace)
1963
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Third song (part 5)
July 1957
Woodblock print, ink on paper
Fabrication (Inclusion)
1966
Woodblock print, ink and color on embossed paper
Kagirinaku No. 1 (Without Limit, No. 1)
Woodblock print
Empty Day (Kukyo naru hi)
1957
Color woodblock print; edition 21/50
Thunder No. 1
Woodblock print
Little Arbiter (Chiisana chusaisha)
1956
Color woodblock print
Infancy
Woodblock print
799
1983
Woodblock print
Untitled
1974
Woodblock print
Work 406
1975
Woodblock print
Untitled (yamakawa-shuho)
Woodblock print
Afternoon on the Horizon (ed. 19/50)
1978
Woodblock print
Water 128 I-Y.B.F.
2012
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Water 74 I-U.B.F.
2012
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Touches W15-M.C.C.
1989
Color woodblock print
Hemp-leaf Pattern
1913
Color woodblock print
Muro
1953
Color woodblock print
Yoshida, Chizuko
Woodblock print
Assemblage (Yellow)
October 1962
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Profundity No. 2
1959
Color woodblock print
Soft Steps
Not set
Woodblock print
Hide and Seek (Kakurenbo)
1954
Color woodblock print
Song of Departure
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.