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
Koyasan - Famous, Sacred and Historical Places
Woodblock print
Lanterns and Maples
1963
Woodblock print
Park in Canton
1941
Woodblock print
Shiba Benten ike
1929
Color woodcut
Sunset at Morigasaki (Morigasaki no sekiyo)
January 1932
Color woodblock print
Amano-Hashidate
Woodblock print
Generations (10/95)
Woodblock print
Solitude
Woodblock print
Late fall — 晩秋
Woodblock print
Branch with Berries
Woodblock print
A View at Yoyogi
Woodblock print
Houses in the Forest
Woodblock print
Forgotton Way (60/75)
Woodblock print
Musashi Chichibu sanchu 武蔵秩父山中 / Shokoku meisho hyakkei 諸国名所百景
Woodblock print
Sugibashira (Barking) (100/100)
Woodblock print
#53 Hamacho Park
Woodblock print
Kikori
late 20th century
Color woodblock print
![Title unknown [Hermit's Cell in a Forest] by Kihei Sasajima](https://1.api.artsmia.org/800/27344.jpg)
Title unknown [Hermit's Cell in a Forest]
1948
Woodblock print, ink on paper
Boston Common, Shôwa period,
Woodblock print
Kitayama
Not set
Woodblock print
Macaw on a pine branch
c. 1835
Color woodblock print; otanzaku
Ise Shima National Park
Woodblock print
Conservatory I, Shôwa period, dated 1962
Woodblock print
The Conservatory IV
1962
Woodblock print, ink on paper
Composition with Leaves
Woodblock print
After the Storm
Woodblock print
![[Path through woods] by Kihei Sasajima](https://1.api.artsmia.org/800/135644.jpg)
[Path through woods]
1950
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Iwabuchi
1916
Woodblock print
Windy Forest, No. 3, Shôwa period, dated 1958
Woodblock print
Windy Grove, Shôwa period, dated 1959
Woodblock print
Weeping Beech
Woodblock print
Wind in the Forest (Kaze aru hayashi)
1959
Woodblock print; edition 5/30
Germinate
1959
Color woodblock print; edition 3/50
#5 Marunouchi Naka-dori
Woodblock print
Yoshida No Series Park In Kyoto
Woodblock print
Brilliance of the Forest
Woodblock print
Wind
Woodblock print
Untitled (Leaves and string)
20th century
Color woodblock print with leaves and string
Islands at Matsushima
1915
Woodblock print
Hibiya Park
Woodblock print
Oasis
1968
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
MIDORINOKISETSU D (Green season D)
Woodblock print
Graphic Studio Dublin • Ed Miliano: Spring-Tree-ed-miliano
Shining Wind
Not set
Woodblock print
Germination
Woodblock print
Flying over Forest
Woodblock print
Greenery — 緑華
Woodblock print
Akai chiheisen (Red Horizon)
Woodblock print
Thick Branches
Woodblock print
Ginga F (The Milky Way (F))
Woodblock print
An Etude on Woods (No.1)
Woodblock print
Mount Amagi Imperial Forest, Izu
1935
Color woodblock print
Fukuroi: Annual Growth Rings
Woodblock print
Ishiyakushi: Fall Colors
Woodblock print
The Great Dipper (B)
1969
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Sylvan — 森の？
Woodblock print
![Inhabit (A) [Sumu (A)] by Joichi Hoshi](https://www.artic.edu/iiif/2/14e6cd5d-5c79-fc54-4722-423014057e08/full/843,/0/default.jpg)
Inhabit (A) [Sumu (A)]
1963
Color woodblock print; edition 4/50
Woodpecker B- oban
Woodblock print
Inner Sanctuary of Kōya-san
1941
Woodblock print, ink on paper
Thistle and Leaves
20th century
Woodcut 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.