Japanese Prints

artelino was founded in 2001 exclusively for the sale and promotion of Japanese art prints. Since then we have sold ca. 25,000 of them in ca. 450 online auctions. This page gives you a short introduction to this art genre and informs how you can purchase Japanese prints - either in our online auctions or by buying direct.

Edo and Meiji Period

Japanese prints have been collected since the end of the 19th century when the isolated small island nation finally opened up to the world. Japanese woodblock printmaking, both historical and modern are widely collected and the techniques used in these prints are regarded as some of the highest or advanced of all printmaking.

Japanese prints are grouped by periods and art movements. Classical woodblock prints belong to the Edo period, which lasted until 1868. The early Edo period is also called the "Golden Age" (until early 19th century) with artists like Harunobu, Utamaro, Hokusai ("The Great Wave") or the enigmatic Sharaku. Leading artists of the Edo period from around 1810 until 1868 include Hiroshige, Kuniyoshi and Kunisada.

After the Edo period came the Meiji period, which lasted from 1868 to 1912. Some arrogant art critics used to regard this period as degenerate. This is, of course, no longer the case and now Meiji prints are in high demand. One characteristic that differs Meiji prints from Edo periods is the use of anilin colors. Beginners can recognize Meiji prints often by their brilliant and stark colors. Anilin colors do not fade, in contrast to vegetable/mineral colors used during the Edo period. Leading artists of the Meiji period include Yoshitoshi Taiso, Kunichika, Chikanobu, Ogata Gekko.

E-hon are old, illustrated Japanese books or albums, made using the single-sheet woodblock printing technique and are also widely collected around the world.

Japanese Prints in the 20th Century

At the start of the 20th century Japanese printmaking split into two groups - the shin hanga ("new prints") and the sosaku hanga ("creative prints") movements. While the sosaku hanga artists adhered to the Western principle of "self-drawn, self-carved and self-printed" by the artist, the shin hanga movement was the attempt to modernize the old traditional concept of Japanese woodblock printmaking by introducing new techniques from the West, including light and shadow effects and perspective.

After World War II Japanese printmaking opened up and became more international. Although woodblock printmaking remained the major technique for Japanese artists, some Western printmaking methods like etching, lithography or silkscreen were adopted.

Then many artists outside of Japan began to adopt the old, traditional way of making woodblock prints. This movement is termed moku hanga ("wood print"). Artists from this group are found all over the world, living and working in North America, Europe, Australia or Southeast Asia.

Recommended Reading about Japanese Prints

You can search for articles on this website and find hundreds of pages about Japanese art prints and many biographies about the artists who created these wonderful works. For newbies to Japanese prints we recommend the following articles:

How to Buy Japanese Prints?

You can buy direct from us or bid on Japanese prints in our online auctions. artelino offers classical Edo prints, Meiji prints, shin hanga and sosaku hanga, contemporary prints, moku hanga and e-hon with usually at least one auction per week. Please see our auction calendar and make sure to register. If you want to purchase from the Buy Direct section, please get into personal contact with us by e-mail, phone, fax or letter.

Gallery of Japanese Prints

Here are a few more examples of Japanese prints. They were all sold by us in past auctions. In our Archive of Sold Prints you can see about 25,000 more.