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
Untitled (joichi-hoshi)
Woodblock print
![Woodpecker (B) [Kitsutsuki (B)] by Kaoru Kawano](https://www.artic.edu/iiif/2/bc4e25d8-39cc-0723-0ac3-5c17e5e5f5e9/full/843,/0/default.jpg)
Woodpecker (B) [Kitsutsuki (B)]
1962
Color woodblock print
STAR FOREST
Woodblock print
Plant
20th century
Woodcut print
Awashima Island, Izu- Somejima
Woodblock print
Morning Breeze
Woodblock print
The Southern Cross (C)
1967
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Lindenberries (Bodaiju no mi)
1963
Woodblock print
Orchard No. 1
Woodblock print
Mitate No.23 - Pine Woods (Mura-matsu)
1999
Musashi Arashiyama
Woodblock print
Pines near Yotsuya Mitsuke
1920
Woodblock print
Arashiyama - 嵐山
Woodblock print
Mitate No.4 Old Pine (Oi-matsu)
1998
Heirinji
Woodblock print
Arashiyama, Kyoto
Woodblock print
Climber in the Woods
Woodblock print
Tying on Tanzaku
early 20th century
Color woodblock print
Pines
1912
Color woodcut
Pine on Doi Island
Woodblock print
Shokozan
1939
Color woodblock print
Two Blackbirds in Forest
Woodblock print
SHIRAKABARIN B (forest of white birch)
Woodblock print
MORINOMICHI C (Path to the Forest C)
Woodblock print
Matsushima, from
Woodblock print
Okunotani, Tsukigase, from
Woodblock print
Okunotani at Tsukigase
Woodblock print
SHIRAKABA J (White Birch J)
Woodblock print
SHIRAJU B(white forest B)
Woodblock print
HAYASHINOMICHI B (path to the forest B)
Woodblock print
Grove
Woodblock print
Aspens
Woodblock print
MORI-NO-MICHI D (Forest Oath D)
Woodblock print
Okuno Hosomichi Matsushima Sendai
Woodblock print
Kamogawa Cherries
1984
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Poéme No. 22: Leaf and Clouds
1953
Woodblock and object print
Grass
Woodblock print
Take II (Bamboo B2)
竹 B2
Sumi ink on paper mounted on plywood
Leaf B
Woodblock print
Forest in the Morning
Woodblock print
Graphic Studio Dublin • Ed Miliano: Summer Tree
Cactus
1932
Color woodblock print
Aspen
Woodblock print
Mistletoe
Woodblock print
Dead Leaves
Woodblock print
Withered Leaf
Woodblock print
Towards The Light, Fern Grove (34/50)
Woodblock print
February
Woodblock print
Reinanzaka
Woodblock print
Kaizu Osaki — 海津大崎の
Woodblock print
Chapter 36 - Kashiwagi - 柏木
Woodblock print
Print 36 - Kashiwagi - 柏木
Woodblock print
Birds flying over Forest (Jukai o tobu tori)
1967
Color woodblock print; edition 26/50
Lanterns and Maples
Woodblock print
Senshu Sakai Naniwaya no matsu 泉州堺なにわやの松 / Shokoku Meisho Hyakkei 諸国名所百景
Woodblock print
SAGA-No-MACHIYA (Old house in Saga)
Woodblock print
Hahakigi
Woodblock print
Seed (Tanpotsu) LE
Woodblock print
SHIRAKABARIN B (forest of white birch)
Woodblock print
, Bonsai
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.