Japanese Print: A Historical Guide

Of all the aspects of Japanese art, woodblock prints have had the greatest appeal for the Western world. In fact, this art form has enjoyed greater popularity in Europe and America than it ever has in Japan itself, and it is fair to say that only after Western artists, collectors, and scholars gave high praise to Japanese prints did the Japanese themselves begin to appreciate the unique artistic heritage that was theirs. The vogue for these prints that began in the West in the late nineteenth century was induced largely by the astonishing originality of their designs and the brilliance of their colors–factors that influenced such artists as Whistler, van Gogh, and Cassatt. A great deal of their fascination is to be found in their subject matter: Kabuki actors, the glamorous courtesans of the Yoshiwara pleasure quarters, heroes and heroines from the past, and landscapes picturing the impressive scenery of Japan. Their origin as an art of the common people has continued to be reflected in the woodblock prints of today.

This straightforwardly written and highly informative book is designed to serve as an introduction to Japanese prints for the student and the beginning collector. It is both a history and a guide. While the paintings and illustrated books of the printmakers are mentioned only in passing, the account of the Japanese print is not limited to the history of ukiyo-e but includes a discussion of the Buddhist prints of the medieval period and the prints of the modern age starting with the Meiji era and coming up to the present. Thus not only such masters as Harunobu, Kiyonaga, Utamaro, Sharaku, Hokusai, and Hiroshige are presented but also such modern luminaries as Onchi, Hiratsuka, and Munakata.

A major virtue of the book is to be found in the attention it gives to the aesthetics of the prints and to the lives of the printmakers themselves. In this respect, as well as in many others, it is eminently suited to the needs of readers who wish to acquaint themselves with the perennially intriguing world of the print from its beginnings down to the present day.

The book is generously illustrated with 14 plates in full color and 86 in black and white, including prints already well known to connoisseurs as well as equally attractive ones that have rarely, if ever, been reproduced. In addition to providing an illuminating history, it offers a thoroughly useful chapter on the collection and care of Japanese prints, a glossary, and a selected bibliography of considerable value. It hardly needs to be added that the book is the work of a devoted scholar and collector.