How it all started...
My introduction to Japanese woodblock prints started on a 9-hour flight from San Francisco to Tokyo. I was reading several Wikipedia articles on Ukiyo-e, Japanese art history, and art exhibits in Tokyo. After some Googling, I got super excited when I learned that tomorrow is the last day for a rare Hasui Kawase exhibit in Ginza, Tokyo.
Please follow me on my journey, which led me to discover an amazing contemporary Japanese woodblock print master, Hajime Nakimi, on Namiki-Dori Street in Ginza, Tokyo, out of all places.
floating world
Ukiyo-e
Traditional Japanese woodblock printing, Ukiyo-e, flourished in Japan during the Edo period (1615-1867).
Japan, isolated from the Western powers, was experiencing centuries of relative peace, the rise of a middle class, relative prosperity, and increased attention to arts and entertainment.
"Ukiyo-e" translates as "pictures of the floating world," and its subjects were bars, brothels, kabuki theaters, and, later, landscapes of contemporary Japan. This "floating world" reflected life's fleeting nature, sensuality, and beauty.
An efficient process was developed to make Ukiyo-e prints affordable: one artist would focus on the initial drawing, another on woodblock carving, the third on woodblock printing, and finally, a "publisher" would focus on selling the artwork.
Pictured: Utamaro, Flowers of Edo: Young Woman's Narrative Chanting to the Shamisen, 1803.
(new) floating world
Shin-Hanga
In 1853, American Commodore Matthew C. Perry forced Japan to open itself to the West. The idyllic life of the last three centuries changed overnight. Japan set itself on the course of rapid industrialization and Westernization.
In 1915, Ginza, Tokyo publisher Watanabe Shozaburo started promoting and nurturing the Shin-Hanga (meaning "new woodcut prints") movement. Remember his last name, it will reappear later in our story.
The Shin-Hanga art movement truly reflected the 1920-40s Japan. On the one hand, Shin-hanga artists adopted many Western art traditions and materials (just like Imperial Japan at the time). On the other, Shin-hanga also evoked nostalgia for Japan's glorious past (just like Imperial Japan).
Similarly to the Ukiyo-e model, in Shin-Hanga, the work was divided between an artist, a carver, and a printer and managed by a publisher. Watanabe Shozaburo, the publisher, established offices in Japan, London, and the US to promote Shin-Hanga. Many GIs also brought the Shin-Hanga prints home to the US after World War II as souvenirs.
Pictured: Kawase Hasui, Zōjō-ji in Shiba, 1925.
Meanwhile in California
Back in the US, in the Californian home of Bill Fernandez (Apple's first full-time employee), young Steve Jobs fell in love with Shin-Hanga. Bill's house had several framed woodblock prints by Hasui Kawase, the same Hasui Kawase represented by Watanabe Shozaburo back in Ginza, Tokyo.
"You can see his love of simplicity and elegance throughout his life, like in the products that he developed at Apple," says Fernandez.
"I think shin-hanga speaks to people like Steve Jobs, people who try to innovate with cutting-edge technology," Watanabe says. "They see the blood, sweat, and tears behind each painting. I guess Steve appreciated shin-hanga."
Pictured: the home of Bill Fernandez with Hasui Kawase prints.
Steve Jobs with an early Macintosh computer and Hashiguchi Goyo's "Combing Her Hair" (1920)
My trip to Japan
Fast-forward to November 2023, and I just landed in Tokyo, Japan. After reading about the Steve Jobs and Hasui Kawase connection, I thought I had to see Kawase's work in person.
I met Steve Jobs a few times while working for Apple. So, somehow, this felt a little personal. What connected them?
Tomorrow was the last day for Kawase's rare exhibit in Tokyo, and I made sure to be there. When I arrived, 27 of 30 of Kawase's old woodblock prints were already sold. And after seeing them in person, the way Steve Jobs saw them at Bill's house, I finally understood what Jobs loved about them.
Over the next two weeks in Japan, I visited several art museums, including the Sumida Hokusai Museum, two teamLab futuristic and immersive shows, the Kanazawa Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Tokyo National Museum, to learn more about Japanese woodblock art.
Somewhere along the way, I met Mr. Shochiro Watanabe of S. Watanabe Woodcut Prints.
Pictured: "The Beauty of Shin-Hanga. Hasui Kawase Woodblock Print Exhibition (First Print Sale)" exhibit in Tokyo.
Here, in S. Watanabe Woodcut Prints shop, I was first introduced to Hajime Namiki's work. Mr. Shochiro Watanabe is the grandson of the great Shōzaburō Watanabe, the patron of the Shin-hanga art movement. Mr. Shochiro Watanabe continues his grandfather's tradition.
But while his grandfather made the world appreciate Shin-Hanga, Mr. Shochiro Watanabe tells the story of the Sōsaku-hanga artists.
Shochiro Watanabe and Max Khusid at S.Watanabe Woodcut Prints. Novemeber, 2023
Creative prints
SŌSAKU-HANGA
The sōsaku-hanga (creative prints) art movement sprouted in early 20th-century Japan, but it really took off in post-war Japan.
As Japan was going through a major transition and metamorphosis of its role in the world, sōsaku-hanga artists saw themselves in opposition to the more traditional ukiyo-e and shin-hanga. They wanted to experiment and be more creative (thus, the name "creative prints").
Sōsaku-hanga brought the individuality and creativity of the artist to the forefront. While in ukiyo-e and shin-hanga, a group of artisans worked on inexpensive art for the masses, sōsaku-hanga artists wanted to elevate their work to the Western definition of fine art. Sōsaku-hanga artists followed the principle of "jiga jikoki jizuri" (self-drawn, self-carved, self-printed) where an artist was the sole creator of the artwork.
Sōsaku-hanga freed the artists to experiment with materials, techniques, and methods to express themselves fully.
Pictured: Hajime Namiki. Dogwood 5, 2005.
Sosaku-hanga artist
Hajime Namiki
Hajime Namiki was born in 1947 in Sumida-ka, Tokyo, Japan.
When Namiki turned 18, he started studying architectural sculpture and woodcarving under the mentorship of the renowned sculptor Shigeyama Ogura. Five years later, in 1970, Namiki first exhibited at the Japan Wood Carving Federation Exhibition; in 1974, he joined the Japanese Association of Sculptors. At this time, Namiki focused on the intricate woodcarving of different bird figures: hummingbirds, kingfishers, hawks, and falcons.
By 1978, Namiki decided to switch his attention to woodblock printing. With his extensive experience in woodcarving and in painting wooden bird sculptures, the sōsaku-hanga art movement specifically appealed to Namiki.
Namiki's process
Traditional ukiyo-e woodblocks were made from Japanese wild mountain cherry (yamazakura). Yet, Japan of the 18th and 19th centuries is quite different from 21st-century Japan. Deforestation, urbanization, and the increase in population have made cherry trees very rare. Most modern woodblock carvers had to switch to more commonly available, softer, and easier-to-work with Japanese basswood (shina).
As an experienced carver, however, Namiki insists on using only the traditional cherry wood (imported from Canada). His carving technique on hard cherry wood allows him to achieve the intricate details that few other contemporary woodblock artists could.
In printing, Namiki uses silver and 24-carat leaf gold leaf to add luminosity to his prints - an uncommon choice in this medium.
He also decided to use oil pigments (as opposed to the more commonly used watercolors) to achieve richer tones and longer-lasting colors.
For paper, Namiki uses traditional hand-made Japanese Gampi paper. Gampi (a flowering shrub) paper has a beautiful sheen and luster, adds strength and flexibility, and has a naturally sized quality that prevents moisture absorption.
Kappy Hendricks
In 1996, Hajime Namiki met Kappy Hendricks, one of the world's foremost authorities on contemporary Japanese prints.
Recognizing Namiki's talent, Kappy organized annual solo exhibits for Namiki in her art gallery in Bethesda, Maryland. At Kappy's invitation, Hajime Namiki visited the United States several times. He was quite impressed by the magnificent trees in Minnesota.
Kappy established the Hendricks Art Collection with one of the best selections of contemporary Japanese woodblock prints in the US. She was active in the art world until her death in 2016.
Primarily due to her efforts, several leading American museums recognized Namiki's art, including the Smithsonian, the Library of Congress, the Art Institute of Chicago, Nancy Reagan's White House art collection, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the New Orleans Museum of Art, Muskegon Museum of Art, and the Hewlett Packard Museum in Palo Alto.
Sakura
Namiki's subjects are commonly trees and landscapes. While experimenting with new techniques (oil paint, gold, cherry woodblocks), Namiki's subjects are traditionally Japanese.
Namiki elevates trees to God-like status. That's no coincidence. Trees are the main focus of his work. Furthermore, his use of silver and gold as a backdrop reminds us of Byzantine religious icons, Buddhist sculptures, Tibetan thangkas, Persian and Indian miniature paintings, and Renaissance art.
Cherry blossom (or "sakura") is revered in Japan since the 8th century AD. For the Japanese people, the short-lived cherry flowers represent the beauty and fragility of life. A cherry tree inspired many generations of Japanese artists, musicians, poets, and craftsmen.
Sakura trees are often regarded as sacred, especially in Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. For Buddhists, the short-blooming flowers of sakura remind them of the ephemeral beauty of life. Every year, the beautiful pink flowers fill the air with renewal and optimism.
