Hajime Namiki

Hajime Namiki was born in 1947 in Sumida-ku, Tokyo, Japan.

When Namiki turned 18, he started studying architectural sculpture and woodcarving under the mentorship of the renowned sculptor Shigeru 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 painting wooden bird sculptures, Namiki was particularly drawn to the sōsaku-hanga art movement. This art movement emphasizes the artist having complete control over the final artwork and being its sole creator. Sōsaku-hanga advocates three key principles of art: "self-drawn" (自画 jiga), "self-carved" (自刻 jikoku), and "self-printed" (自摺 jizuri).

Unlike the earlier shin-hanga movement, in which the artist was responsible only for the drawing while others handled carving and printing, Namiki preferred to do it all himself. As an experienced sculptor, he used his carving technique on hard cherry wood to achieve intricate details that few other woodblock artists could. In printing, Namiki used silver and gold leaf to add luminosity to his prints - an uncommon choice in this medium. He also decided to use oil pigments (rather than the more commonly used watercolors) to achieve richer tones and longer-lasting colors

By the 1980s, his talent and innovative techniques were recognized first in Japan and then in the United States. From 1985 onward, Namiki was selected to exhibit at the prestigious College Women's Print Show in Tokyo, Japan. In 1985, 1987, and 1989, he was invited to visit the United States.

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, and promoted his art to several American museums. Namiki's work entered the collections of the Smithsonian, the Library of Congress, the Art Institute of Chicago, Nancy Reagan's White House art collection, and many others.

Selected Exhibitions:

• College Women's Association of Japan, annual exhibits: 1987-1998. Tokyo, Japan.
• Kenosha Public Museum, annual solo exhibits: 1992–1995. Kenosha, USA.
• Hendricks Art Collection, solo exhibits: 1994, 1997–1999, 2001, 2006. Bethesda, USA.
• Castle Fine Arts, solo exhibit, 1999. San Francisco, USA.
• College Women's Association of Japan, group exhibits: 2000-2005. Tokyo, Japan.
• The Library of Congress, "On the Cutting Edge: Contemporary Japanese Prints", 2007. Washington, USA.
• The Library of Congress, "Sakura: Icon of Spring", case display, 2024. Washington, USA.
• Art House SF, "Trees I see", solo exhibits: 2024–2026. San Francisco, USA.

Private and Public Collections:

• The White House Collection. Washington, USA.
• Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Asian Art. Washington, USA.
• Library of Congress. Washington, USA.
• Art Institute of Chicago. Chicago, USA.
• Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Los Angeles, USA.
• Museum of Fine Arts. Houston, USA.
• New Orleans Museum of Art. New Orleans, USA.
• Kenosha Public Museum, Kenosha, USA.
• Muskegon Museum of Art. Muskegon, USA.
• Hewlett Packard corporate collection. Palo Alto, USA.

Namiki’s prints have been placed with private collectors through Art House SF in the United States (California, New York, Massachusetts, Michigan, Oregon, Tennessee, Delaware, and Washington, D.C.), Italy, the United Kingdom, and Germany.