Trees Prints (520)
Trees are a fundamental compositional element and independent subject in Japanese woodblock printmaking, appearing as framing devices, atmospheric indicators, and primary subjects that showcase the medium's ability to render organic form through carved wood. The woodblock technique has a natural affinity for depicting trees — the carved lines of the block echo the texture of bark and branch, creating a material sympathy between medium and subject. Pine trees (matsu) hold particular cultural significance in Japanese art, symbolizing longevity, resilience, and the endurance of virtue. Prints featuring wind-bent pines along coastlines, ancient pines in temple gardens, and the famous pine groves of Miho and Karasaki recur throughout the tradition. Cherry trees in blossom (sakura) are equally iconic, their brief flowering season providing a powerful metaphor for the transience celebrated in Japanese aesthetics. Other tree subjects — weeping willows along canals, cryptomeria avenues leading to shrines, autumn maples (momiji) blazing with color — serve as seasonal markers and atmospheric elements that anchor landscape compositions in specific times and places. Shin-hanga artists like Hasui and Yoshida paid particular attention to trees as compositional elements, using them to frame distant views, create depth, and establish the atmospheric mood that distinguishes their landscape prints from earlier ukiyo-e conventions.
Artists Known for Trees
Mitate No.76 - Bamboo Grove (Chikurin)
2006
No Series Tree At Lakeside
Woodblock print
Evergreen Tree 2
29/150, 2009
Woodblock print
Red Red Tree 2
30/200, 2006
Woodblock print
Fruit tree and birds
Woodblock print
Green trees
Woodblock print
Tree with sun and two birds
Woodblock print
Pine Tree at Karasaki (Karasaki no matsu), from the series “Eight Views of Omi (Omi hakkei) “
1913
Color woodblock print
Pine Tree at Karasaki (Karasaki no matsu), from the series "Eight Views of Omi (Omi hakkei)"
1918
Color woodblock print
Lapwing on Tree Stump
1920s
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Pagoda and Trees in the Snow (Yuki no tō)
20th century
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Geisha and Cherry Tree - Ueno Park
Woodblock print
Bijin Under Cherry Tree (1)
1930
Woodblock print
Trees, Montreuil
Woodblock print
Oak Tree in St. Louis
Shōwa period,
Woodblock print; ink on paper
![Title unknown [Farm House with Persimmon Tree] by Saito Kiyoshi](https://1.api.artsmia.org/800/114852.jpg)
Title unknown [Farm House with Persimmon Tree]
c. 1960
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Village Scene with Persimmon Tree
1963?
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Bird in Plum Tree (Year of the Snake)
1929
Woodcut print
House and Trees
20th century
Woodblock print
Pine Tree at Kokubunji
1960
Woodblock print, ink on paper
Tree Stump (Kirikabu)
1963
Woodblock print
Yoshida: Willow and Private Estate
Woodblock print
A Bird Flying Over A Cherry Tree Blossom
Woodblock print
Bird Perched On A Cherry Tree Branch
Woodblock print
Winter Tree (work 74-72)
Woodblock print
CHIKURIN D (Bamboo Bush D)
Woodblock print
Grove of Assorted Trees A
Woodblock print
Kikareru (withered trees)
Woodblock print
MOMIJINORINDO B (path to the maple tree)
Woodblock print
Old Tree and Path of the Sun, Shôwa period, dated 1961
Woodblock print
SHIROIKI AKEBONO (White tree dawn)
Woodblock print
Trees
Woodblock print
Unknown- WHITE-BARKED TREES
Woodblock print
White Tree A
Woodblock print
Two Crows on a Plum Tree (Descriptive Title)
Woodblock print
Cedar Lumbers
Not set
Woodblock print
Take Bamboo
Contemporary - 1976
Woodblock print
Three women beneath a plum tree at night
c. 1796
Color woodblock print; surimono
Traveler on Horseback under Bloomed Cherry Tree
1790s
Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper
Women Distracting a Child whose Kite is caught in a Tree
c. 1800
color woodblock print
Ikebana arrangement of Chrysanthemums, Bamboo in Basket
1781–1806
Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper
Ikebana arrangement of Peony and Willow in Dragon Pot
1781–1806
Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper
Sparrows on Bamboo Branch
c. 1781–1806
Woodblock print (sumizuri-e), ink on paper
#31 Makibashira (Cypress pillar)
Woodblock print
Shobutsu Maru (the young Benkei) Holding a Bamboo Pole with Shinto Strips and Protruding Weapons
Woodblock print
Misty Day in Nikko
1937
Color woodblock print
Xiaogushan
1939
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Ki no Matsushima Islands
Woodblock print
Dogwood 2
2001
Color woodblock print; edition 128/200
Aoyagi
1942
Woodblock print
Arashiyama, Kyoto
n.d. [1952]
Color woodblock print
Full Season
Woodblock print
Three Little Islands
1930
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Matsushima, from the series Famous Sights of Japan (Nihon meishō zue)
1896 (Meiji 29)
Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper
Kōnoshima
1930
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Arashiyama (Later printing by Toshi Yoshida)
1935
Woodblock print
Hayashi, Waichi
Woodblock print
Chapter 16- Early Bracken - 早蕨
Woodblock print
Manotake and Notoridake
1929
Color woodblock print
Lanterns and Red Maples
Woodblock print
Related Subjects
Frequently Asked Questions
Trees are a fundamental compositional element and independent subject in Japanese woodblock printmaking, appearing as framing devices, atmospheric indicators, and primary subjects that showcase the medium's ability to render organic form through carved wood. The woodblock technique has a natural affinity for depicting trees — the carved lines of the block echo the texture of bark and branch, creating a material sympathy between medium and subject.
Kotozuka Eiichi, Fumio Kitaoka, and Joichi Hoshi are among the artists most associated with trees in our collection. Browse the full list of artists who explored this subject above.
Hanga currently catalogues 520 prints tagged with trees, spanning ukiyo-e, shin-hanga, and sōsaku-hanga traditions where applicable.