Yowsaku Sekino
Yowsaku Sekino was born in Suginami-ku, Tokyo as Jun'ichirō and Katsuko Sekino's second son in 1944. He graduated from Chuo University's School of Science and Technology in 1968.
Rather than immediately turning to art to make a living, Yowsaku went to work as a chemist at Shoketsu Metal Kogyo (SMC Corporation). But in 1971, he switched careers to become the technical assistant to his father,Sekino Jun’ichirō (1914-1988), a towering figure in the sosaku hanga print movement.
In 1976, Yosaku opened his own European-style printing workshop where "he assisted various artists to produce their lithographs, etchings, engravings, drypoints and woodblock prints" and polished and expanded, through experimentation, the printmaking techniques he learned from his father.
In the early 1980s, he decided to become an artist himself, specializing in color woodblock printmaking. He became active in the Shun'yokai 春陽会 (Spring Principle Association) in 1984, and won numerous awards from the organization including their 1988 Research Award (Kenkyū-sh 春陽会研究賞) and their 2004 Oka Award (春陽会岡賞). Yowsaku is also a member of the Japan Artists Association (JAA).
Since 2007, Nihonbashi Takashimaya's prestigious Bijutsu Garou (art gallery) has shown his woodblock prints every year through one-man shows or small group shows. Yowsaku also exhibits in the annual exhibitions of the College Women's Association of Japan (CWAJ). At the 2015 opening reception of the 60th exhibition of the CWAJ, Empress Michiko purchased his print "Sakura (Cherry Blossoms)" for the Imperial Palace.
Virtual Exhibit
Learn more about Yowsaku, his unique process, gold leaf, and Sosaku Hanga art movement.
Available Artwork
See our entire collection of Yowsaku's prints. All prints are shipped from Japan to our art gallery in San Francisco.
Video about Sekino
Watch "The Magic of Printmaking Woodcut Gold Leaf by Sekino Yowsaku" video from CWAJ 2022
Frequently Asked Questions:
| Is this artwork original? | How is it framed? |
|
Under "TECHNIQUE" column above, if it says Oil, Acrylic, Watercolor, or Fabric then yes, this is authentic, original, one-of-the-kind artwork delivered to us directly by the artist and stretched & framed in California. If it says "Print", then this is a very accurate reproduction of the original work.
|
Every work is ready to be hung and, in most cases, framed. See under "FRAMING" column above. One of the photos of the artwork is always with a frame. We try to pick the best frame for each work, see our framing guide for details.
|
| Can you help me visualize the artwork? | How do I buy an artwork I like? |
|
If you email us a photo of your room, we'll photoshop the artwork so you can see how it'd fit in your house.
We can also send you a video of an artwork so you can see it from all sides. See our YouTube channel for examples.
|
You can click "Add to Cart" button and checkout through our secure website. Alternatively, you can email us, we'll answer any questions you have and will send you an invoice. You can pay with a credit card, PayPal, Apple Pay, or split payments into multiple.
|
| Can you help me install the artwork? | What's your return policy? |
|
Each package includes everything you need to install the artwork: a level, nails, microfiber cloth, even a small tape measure. For large paintings in the SF Bay Area, we'll include a FREE art installation service as well.
|
If for any reason you don't like the artwork, please return it to us within 30 days in the original condition. We'll gladly accept it and issue a full refund minus the return shipping cost. Art prints are custom products and are not eligible for returns.
|
| Do you ship internationally? | How long will my order take? |
| Yes, we do. We shipped paintings to Austria, Australia, Canada, France, Belgium, Germany, the UK. All were delivered without any issues and promptly, ~2 weeks with UPS Ground. Rates were from $60 to $140, so quite reasonable. Email us to estimate shipping charges. | We ship within 1-3 business days with UPS Ground. Shipping times are 2-3 days to the West Coast and 5-7 days to the East Coast. Fine art prints are made to order, so they're shipped within 10-14 days after placing an order. |






