Still Life Prints (402)
Still life subjects (seibutsu-ga) in Japanese woodblock prints encompass arrangements of objects — flowers in vases, fruit, pottery, books, musical instruments, seasonal decorations — that reveal the aesthetic sensibilities and material culture of their era. While less prominent than landscape or figure subjects, still life prints produced some of the tradition's most technically refined works, particularly in the surimono format of privately commissioned luxury prints. The surimono tradition of the late Edo period raised still life printing to its highest level, with artists creating elaborate compositions of carefully arranged objects using metallic pigments, blind embossing (karazuri), and other special techniques. These prints, often commissioned for poetry circles or New Year celebrations, combined visual beauty with literary allusion, as each object carried symbolic meaning accessible to educated viewers. Modern still life prints developed in two directions. Shin-hanga artists produced refined floral arrangements and seasonal compositions that continued the decorative tradition. Sosaku-hanga artists used still life subjects as vehicles for formal experimentation, abstracting everyday objects into bold compositions of color and shape. Artists like Saito Kiyoshi and Watanabe Sadao transformed simple subjects — persimmons, pottery, garden stones — into modernist compositions that brought the still life tradition into dialogue with international contemporary art.
Artists Known for Still Life
Unknown 5
Woodblock print
Whiteing — キス
Woodblock print
Mask and metals
Woodblock print
Blue on Blue
21/150, 2009
Woodblock print
Tulips in Vase
ca. 1921
Shirt 3
11/11, 1980
Woodblock print
Fishes in drinking glass
Woodblock print
Unknown- white calla lilies
Woodblock print
Fushimi Dolls
Woodblock print
Les Jades Chinois
1941
Woodblock print
La Statuette Thang, Mandchoukuo
1956
Woodblock print
Bottles at the Bar
Woodblock print
Toy Bull
Woodblock print
Cyclamen growing in a decorated pot
Woodblock print
Fossil 16
1970
Color woodblock print; edition 10/60
, Bonsai
Woodblock print
Daffodils
Woodblock print
Red Candle- chuban
Woodblock print
Ranto — 蘭燈
Woodblock print
Dolls
Woodblock print
Happy Tabi 3
34/200, 2005
Woodblock print
Lucky Kimono 2
c. 1975–2025
Woodblock print
Red Shoes 2
Woodcut, water-based ink
No 84 Pansy
Woodblock print
Les Jades. Chinoise (Jade Lady. Chinese)
1940
Woodblock print
Carnations and Spoon on a Tray
Woodblock print
Floral design
Woodblock print
Ugui — ウグヒ
Woodblock print
Kawaii Tabi
55/200, 2005
Woodblock print
Crete-de-coq
early 1930s
Lucky Hashi 3
23/150, 2004
Woodblock print
Happy Kimono 6
60/150, 2007
Woodblock print
Happy Kimono (AI)
150/150, 2001
Woodblock print
Inside a Cage
Woodblock print
Blue Note
Woodblock print
Eye to Eye
Woodblock print
Holy Smoke
Woodblock print
Highfire
Woodblock print
Keep Smiling
Woodblock print
Madoka
Woodblock print
Pillow Talk
Woodblock print
Quartet
Woodblock print
Ramen Nation
Woodblock print
Whisper
Woodblock print
Homage
Etching
Dawn
Etching
Edo
Etching
Nara Sansai
Etching
Meyer Lemon Curd Recipe
Mokuhanga with hand lettering
Jug and Branch
Mokuhanga with hand-painted detail
English Alphabet Still Life
Woodblock print
Lemon
Woodblock print
Lemon
Woodblock print
Time of Silence — Chinese cabbage
沈黙の時間 — 白菜
2025
Mezzotint
Le rideau
2024
Etching
Nineteen Cherries and One
Woodblock print
Grapes
Woodblock print
Light, Time, Silence No.15
光、時間、静寂 NO.15
Lithograph
Two Chairs #3
Lithograph
Light Time Silence m - E
Lithograph
Related Subjects
Frequently Asked Questions
Still life subjects (seibutsu-ga) in Japanese woodblock prints encompass arrangements of objects — flowers in vases, fruit, pottery, books, musical instruments, seasonal decorations — that reveal the aesthetic sensibilities and material culture of their era. While less prominent than landscape or figure subjects, still life prints produced some of the tradition's most technically refined works, particularly in the surimono format of privately commissioned luxury prints.
Ohno Bakufu, Nana Shiomi, and Hiratsuka Un'ichi are among the artists most associated with still life in our collection. Browse the full list of artists who explored this subject above.
Hanga currently catalogues 402 prints tagged with still life, spanning ukiyo-e, shin-hanga, and sōsaku-hanga traditions where applicable.