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
Shinagawa Takumi（品川工）
Woodblock print
Funasaka, Yoshisuke
1976
Woodblock print
My Space and My Dimension No. 419
1975
Color woodblock and screenprint on paper; edition 8/30
Love Letter
Woodblock print
Untitled (yoshitoshi-mori)
Woodblock print
Song of Water S
1971
Woodblock print
Le Noir
Woodblock print
Rokushu Mizufune
Woodblock print
On the Surface
Woodblock print
White in the Wall
Woodblock print
Emerald Bath
Not set
Woodblock print
Gathering
September 1968
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
941 (ed.33/40)
1986
Woodblock print
Imayo (Modern) 19
Woodblock print
Searing Blast
1993
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Kinoshita, Tomio (b. 1923)
Woodblock print
Mask Woman
Woodblock print
A Piece of Poetry, Drawing, Assemblage
March 1965
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Colophon (part 1)
July 1957
Woodblock print, ink on paper
Stretch
Woodblock print
Explanation (Toku), Shôwa period, dated 1969
Woodblock print
Seventh song (part 9)
July 1957
Woodblock print, ink on paper
No 30
Woodblock print
Kukan No. 13 (Space No. 13)
Woodblock print
Celadon Bath
Not set
Woodblock print
Chat
September 1968
Woodblock print, color on paper
Word
20th century
Woodblock print, color on paper
Changing Seasons
Not dated
Woodblock print
Blue and White Space. No. 305
1972
My Space and My Dimension No. 465
1976
Color woodblock and screenprint on paper; edition 21/45
Mirage
Woodblock print
Liberty Bell
1976
Woodblock print
Untitled (mitsuaki-sora)
Woodblock print
Sign (Kizashi) (artist’s proof)
1970
Color woodblock print with embossing
Amano, Kazumi
Woodblock print
Manaita
Woodblock print
Description (part 2)
July 1957
Woodblock print, ink on paper
Light Room 001
2015
Photographic print on folded paper (Light Models series)
Moss (Koke) No. 1, Shôwa period,
Woodblock print
New Star No. 2
1957
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Wall of Art (Geijutsu no kabe) No. 3
1965
Color woodblock print; edition 5/30
Umbrellas
2003
Woodblock print
985 (ed. 92/110)
1988
Woodblock print
Lemon No. 468
1976
Color woodblock and screenprint on paper; edition 20/50
No Series Favourable Sunset Wind
Woodblock print
First Love 8 A
Woodblock print
Earth, No. 3
Woodblock print
Light Room 002
2015
Photographic print on folded paper (Light Models series)
Touches W1-M.A.K.
1988
Color woodblock print
Water K.Y.-5
1990s
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Light Room 005
2015
Photographic print on folded paper (Light Models series)
No Series Untitled Sumi E 3
Woodblock print
Crows
1961
Lace#21
2012
Silkscreen on acrylic panel
Alone
1958
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Nami (Waves) (69/85)
Woodblock print
Naido (Motomu), Shôwa period, dated 1963
Woodblock print
Trimming
Woodblock print
Inner strength
Woodblock print
Empty Day
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.