Welcome to Nihon no hanga

“The wood-block print shows the artist’s true value: his skill as well as his shortcomings, his successes as well as his failures in the work. ”

Yoshida Hiroshi, 1939

Located in a 17th century canal house with Amsterdam School elements, Nihon no hanga is a private museum dedicated to showcase exhibitions created around a collection of 20th century Japanese prints, collected over 30 years by Elise Wessels. During our opening months in May and November, visitors are invited to join guided tours and other events in our stunning museum.

Nihon no hanga collaborates with specialists and museums around the world and our exhibitions have been received favorably by international audiences. The museum strives to further the understanding of modern and contemporary Japanese woodblock prints.

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Ono Tadashige (1909-1990) Rooftops in Amsterdam, 1933

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Nakagawa Isaku 中川伊作 (1899–2000) Grand ma

Nakagawa Isaku 中川伊作 (1899–2000)
Grand massé (Guran masse グランマッセ)
Date: 1933
Artist’s seal (blind-printed): Isaku
Publisher: Self-published

This print oozes modernity: a young woman with bobbed hair wearing a fashionable garment plays the Western game of billiards. She assumes a difficult pose to carry out a massé, a trick shot in billiards that is made by hitting the cue ball in an upright position such that it curves and turns around interfering balls before hitting its target.

Born in Kyoto, Isaku attended the Kyoto City School of Fine Arts and Crafts (Kyōto Shiritsu Bijutsu Kōgei Gakkō). He graduated in 1918 and became one of the first members of the Japan Creative Print Association. In 1921, he graduated from the Kyoto City Specialist School of Painting. In the mid-1920s, he established the Four Men Creative Print Distribution Club (Yonin Sōsaku Hanga Hanpukai) with Tokuriki Tomikichirō, Asada Benji and Asano Takeji.
In 1929 Isaku became interested in Okinawan-style unglazed pottery (nanbanyaki). By 1938, he collected over one hundred items of pottery, which were shown in an exhibition at the Kyoto National Museum. In 1960, he moved to the US, where he taught Japanese painting at the University of California and was a guest lecturer at the Rudolph Schaeffer School of Design in San Francisco. He stayed in America for ten years, during which he held some ten solo exhibitions of his paintings and woodblock prints. In 1964, he was awarded the key to the city of San Francisco. In 1972, he moved to Okinawa to pursue his dream of making pottery; by the 1980s he had his own kiln and produced nanbanyaki. He continued to make prints and exhibited them together with his pottery up until the 1990s.

From ‘Waves of renewal: modern Japanese prints, 1900 to 1960 Selections from the Nihon no Hanga collection, Amsterdam’, Hotei Publishing (2016), p. 273, cat. 334.

#bijinga #bijin #womeninart #sosakuhanga #創作版画 #nakagawaisaku #billiards #trickshot #nihonnohanga #hanga #mokuhanga #japaneseart #japanart #japaneseartwork #privatecollection #privatemuseum #ukiyoe #museumfromhome #woodblockprint #japaneseprint #printmaking #reliefprinting #japaneseart #美人画 #日本の版画 #木版画

Itō Shinsui 伊東深水 (1898–1972) Snowy nigh

Itō Shinsui 伊東深水 (1898–1972)
Snowy night (Yuki no yo 雪の夜)
Series: Twelve forms of new beauties (Shin bijin jūnishi 新美人十二姿)
Date: January 1923
Signature: Shinsui ga
Artist’s seal: Itō
Edition: 12/200
Publisher: Watanabe Shōzaburō

This design is frequently praised as the representative work in the Twelve forms of new beauties set. The steel-blue umbrella emphasises the feel of a snowy wintry night. The shape of the snowflakes is not applied, rather created through the white unprinted areas of the paper.

‘Waves of renewal: modern Japanese prints, 1900 to 1960 Selections from the Nihon no Hanga collection, Amsterdam’, Hotei Publishing (2016), cat. 225.

#nihonnohanga #japaneseumbrella #hanga #mokuhanga #japaneseart #japanart #japaneseartwork #privatecollection #privatemuseum #snowynight #yuki #wintervibes #winterinjapan #shinhanga #ukiyoe #museumfromhome #woodblockprint #japaneseprint #printmaking #reliefprinting #japaneseart #bijin #snowbeauty #winterbeauty #itoshinsui #美人画 #伊東深水 #新版画 #日本の版画 #木版画

Miki Suizan 三木翠山 (1887-1957) Snow at Higas

Miki Suizan 三木翠山 (1887-1957)
Snow at Higashiyama (no. 1) (Higashiyama no yuki (ichi) 東山の雪 (一）)
Series: Newly selected famous views of Kyoto, volume one (Shinsen Kyōto meisho dai isshū 新選京都名所第一集)
Date: 1925
Signature: Suizan
Publisher: Satō Shōtarō

According to the Yearbook of Japanese Art (Nihon Bijutsu nenkan) of 1922,
Miki Suizan lived in Higashiyama, the hills on the east side of Kyoto, where
most of the famous temples are situated. The woman’s rich kimono is decorated with a variety of flowers, such as plum and camelias and her obi shows tri-coloured chrysanthemums, all motifs that are often used all year long. The crane is an emblem of faithfulness, longevity, and good fortune, so it an important icon for New Year and wedding ceremonies.

#nihonnohanga #snow #yuki #japanesecrane #kimonolife #winterkimono #kimonomotif #wintervibes #winterinjapan #KyotoJapan #higashiyama #shinhanga #ukiyoe #museumfromhome #woodblockprint #japaneseprint #printmaking #reliefprinting #japaneseart #mikisuizan #bijin #snowbeauty #winterbeauty #美人画 #三木翠山 #新版画 #日本の版画 #木版画

Asahi Masahide 旭正秀 (1900-1956) Snow (雪) Se

Asahi Masahide 旭正秀 (1900-1956)
Snow (雪)
Series: New edition of modern women's styles (新版今様女風俗)
Date: 1930
Artist’s seal: Asahi
Published: Self-published

Asahi Masahide was born in Kyoto in 1900. He claimed that as a youth he had an interest in prints after seeing the work of Oda Kazuma. He was a member of the Japan Creative Print Association, the Shun’yōkai and a founding member of the Japan Print Association (Nihon Hanga Kyōkai, a reorganisation of the Japan Creative Print Association). He produced his own woodblock prints from the age of nineteen. In 1920, he met Koizumi Kishio; together they established the publishing company Hangasha, which released the magazine Hanga (Prints, November 1921–April 1922). Kishio was the editor for Hanga and Masahide served in the same capacity for the magazine Shi to hanga (Poetry and prints), which ran from September 1922 to August 1925. The magazine introduced prints by Western artists, such as Paul Gauguin and Edvard Munch, and poets such as William Blake and Guillaume Apollinaire. Shi to hanga also featured young woodblock artists, articles on the history of printmaking, short stories, and essays. Masahide contributed designs to the series One hundred views of new Japan, magazines such as Han geijutsu (Print art), and wrote about Japanese prints, printing techniques and the cultural changes in Yokohama. In 1934, he accompanied an exhibition of Japan Print Association artists to Paris. In 1936, he travelled to other European cities and the United States to promote his art and the same year he adopted the name Asahi Yasuhiro.

Biography from ‘Waves of renewal: modern Japanese prints, 1900 to 1960 Selections from the Nihon no Hanga collection, Amsterdam’, Hotei Publishing (2016), p. 274.

#nihonnohanga #museumfromhome #gallery #japanese #privatecollection #privatemuseum #museumlovers #hanga #mokuhanga #ukiyoe #japaneseart #japanart #japaneseartwork #japanesewoodblockprint #japaneseprint #japaneseculture #woodcutprint #woodblockprint #bijin #sosakuhanga #moderngirl #snowbeauty #snowart #創作版画 #美人画 #日本美術 #日本の版画 #木版画 #モダンガール #雪

Itō Shinsui 伊東深水 (1898–1972) Kotatsu (K

Itō Shinsui 伊東深水 (1898–1972)
Kotatsu (Kotatsu 炬燵)
Series: Twelve forms of new beauties (Shin bijin jūnishi 新美人十二姿)
Date: January 1923
Signature: Shinsui ga
Artist’s seal: Itō
Edition: 14/200
Publisher: Watanabe Shōzaburō

This print appeared in January 1923, almost nine months before the Great Kantō Earthquake. Pre-earthquake prints like these only survived the disaster if they had been stored elsewhere, as Watanabe’s print studio and storage was completely destroyed.

‘Waves of renewal: modern Japanese prints, 1900 to 1960 Selections from the Nihon no Hanga collection, Amsterdam’, Hotei Publishing (2016), cat. 224.

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Onchi Kōshirō 恩地孝四郎 (1891–1955) L’

Onchi Kōshirō 恩地孝四郎 (1891–1955)
L’hiver (Winter; Fuyu 冬)
Series: Beauties of the four seasons (Bijin shiki 美人四季)
Date: 1927
Signature: Onchi Kō (on original covers)
Publisher: Self-published
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As Kiyoko Sawatari writes in our catalogue ‘Waves of renewal’: “Onchi's rendition of the female form is simple, direct and modern: (…) a woman dressed in black with piercing blue eyes holds a black kitten in L’hiver. When the Nihon Hangasha (Japan Print Company) republished Beauties of the four seasons in 1930, the names of the seasons were changed from French to Japanese; moreover, the striking blue eyes in Winter are printed black. Although more conventional than his original set, this new version appears to have been more popular.”
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Kiyoko Sawatari, 'The figurative and abstract in the art of Onchi Kōshirō the 1920s to the 1940s', in ‘Waves of renewal: modern Japanese prints, 1900 to 1960 Selections from the Nihon no Hanga collection, Amsterdam’ Hotei Publishing (2016), p. 69 (cat. 154).
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#nihonnohanga #museumfromhome #gallery #fineart #japanese #privatecollection #privatemuseum #museumlovers #hanga #mokuhanga #japaneseart #japanart #japaneseartwork #japanesewoodblockprint #japaneseprint #japaneseculture #woodcut #woodcutprint #woodblockprint #bijin #snowbeauty #winterbeauty #sosakuhanga #creativeprint #創作版画 #美人画 #日本美術 #版画 #日本の版画 #木版画

Kitano Tsunetomi 北野恒富 The heron maiden (Sa

Kitano Tsunetomi 北野恒富
The heron maiden (Sagi musume 鷺娘)
Date: c. 1925
Signature: Tsunetomi hitsu
Publisher: Nezu Seitarō
Block-cutter: Yamana Yoshiteru
Printer: Matsuno Kassui
This print is Tsunetomi's most famous design. It is based on a folktale of a young man who finds a wounded heron and nurses it back to health and sets it free. He then meets a beautiful girl, falls in love and marries her. The couple live by selling the beautiful cloth she weaves, but she cautions him that he must never watch her as she works. His curiosity gets the better of him and he discovers that she is the white heron. Changing back into her human form she reveals that now that her secret is revealed, she must leave. She transforms herself into a heron and takes flight.
This example from our collection is in pristine condition, with the mica background and the snowflakes rendered with superior quality gofun (a white pigment made of pulverised shells). It lacks the artist’s seal below the signature and is unnumbered. It remains a mystery why the numbered editions, such as the one in the Robert. O. Muller collection, are prone to problems in condition: the paper is toned, the mica is thin and poorly applied, and the snowflakes are cracked. The Muller print does have a red artist’s seal below the signature and is numbered in the lower margin. This situation has been further complicated by the recent discovery of a folder that is associated with the numbered edition. On this folder The heron maiden is titled Winter and there is also a series title reading Beauties in the four seasons (Shiki bijin). This suggests that four designs were originally planned; however, only this print and another, Maiko, are known.
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Text from our catalogue ‘Waves of renewal: modern Japanese prints, 1900 to 1960 Selections from the Nihon no Hanga collection, Amsterdam’ Hotei Publishing (2016), p.123.
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Happy Holidays from Nihon no hanga ⭐ We would l

Happy Holidays from Nihon no hanga ⭐
We would like to wish you and your loved ones a happy and prosperous 2021!
2020 has been a trying year for all of us. Both our May and November exhibitions have been cancelled due to the ongoing covid-19 crisis, but we have high hopes for next year with some exciting exhibitions and other projects! #linkinbio
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Katshira Tokushi 勝平得之 (1904-1971)
New Year's decorations (mayudama) (まゆだま)
Series: Ten scenes of Akita customs (second series) (秋田風俗十題)
Date: 1941
Signature: Tokushi; Tokushi Katsuhira
Publisher: Self-published
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#nihonnohanga #museumfromhome #sosakuhanga #privatecollection #privatemuseum #hanga #mokuhanga #japaneseart #japaneseartwork #japanesewoodblockprint #japaneseprint #japaneseculture #woodcutprint #woodblockprint #akitaprefecture #katsuhiratokushi #northernjapan #秋田風俗 #創作版画 #日本美術 #版画 #日本の版画 #木版画

Kobayakawa Kiyoshi 小早川清 (1899-1948) Pupils

Kobayakawa Kiyoshi 小早川清 (1899-1948)
Pupils of the eyes (no. 4) ([yon] Hitomi [四] 瞳)
Series: Figures in contemporary fashions (Kindai jiseishō no uchi 近代時世粧ノ内)
Date: January 1931
Signature: Kiyoshi saku
Artist’s seals: Kobayakawa (upper right)/ Kobayakawa (lower left margin)
Edition: 2/100
Publisher: Self-published
Block-cutter: Takano Shichinosuke
Printer: Ono Tomisaburō
Compared with Itō Shinsui’s elegant portrayal of women, Kiyoshi’s women are more sensual, as typified in the six women illustrated in this set. The figures include ‘Modern Girls’ (modan gaaru or moga), who embraced modernity by having their hair cut short and by frequenting urban cafés, as well as women shown in more traditional settings. In reality, from the mid 1920’s to the late 1930s only a small proportion of Japanese women wore Western dress. The blocks for this set were carved by the same artisan Hashiguchi Goyō employed for some of his prints more than a decade earlier. The series was released in a limited edition of one hundred.
Kiyoshi believed that as an artist of the Shōwa era his images of women would inevitably convey the healthful beauties of the day. The woman’s white scarf has an intricate silver pattern, with the outlines overprinted in silver and grey. The unidentified seal in the lower right corner is most likely a collector’s seal.
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Text from our catalogue ‘Waves of renewal: modern Japanese prints, 1900 to 1960 Selections from the Nihon no Hanga collection, Amsterdam’ Hotei Publishing (2016), pp. 201, 203.
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Miki Suizan’s two series on Kyoto were exhibited

Miki Suizan’s two series on Kyoto were exhibited at the landmark modern Japanese print exhibition of 1930 at the Toledo museum of Art in Ohio. In the booklet curator Dorothy Blair shared her thoughts on Suizan’s work: “It is hard to say whether he excels in figures or landscapes, but perhaps his landscapes are simpler and often more effective than his figures.” At the time the woodblock prints were sold at the museum, some for as little as $2.00 (which at the time was even considered a bargain!). The traveling sales exhibition went to 10 different museums, showcasing 343 Japanese prints by 10 then contemporary artists. Thanks to a mail-order system set up by artist and entrepreneur Yoshida Hiroshi (1876-1950), many Shin hanga prints quickly found their way into museums, offices, and people’s homes across the US.
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Miki Suizan 三木翠山 (1887-1957)
Autumn at Tsūten Bridge (no. 11) (Tsūtenkyō no aki (jūichi) 通天橋の秋　(十一))
Series: Newly selected famous views of Kyoto, volume two (Shinsen Kyōto meisho dai ni shū 新選京都名所第二集)
Date: 1925
Signature: Suizan
Publisher: Satō Shōtarō
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#nihonnohanga #momiji #京都 #通天橋 #tsutenkyo #autumn #autumnleaves #autumnvibes #autumncolors #autumninjapan #KyotoJapan #shinhanga #museumfromhome #woodblockprint #japaneseprint #printmaking #reliefprinting #japaneseart #mikisuizan #三木翠山 #新版画 #日本の版画 #木版画

A beauty lost or left in translation? As with the

A beauty lost or left in translation? As with the two previously shared prints of this series, the English and Japanese descriptions of this print differ extremely. First, the titles could not be more dissimilar: “Maid of Northern Japan” (English) versus “Round hairstyle” (Japanese). The English text pushes the notion that the North, because of its different climate and dress, is the backcountry of Japan (though according to the author there is a ‘kind of beauty’ in its primitiveness). It is quite clear the English text was not based on the description provided by Sekino himself. In his text he reminisces about the relationship with his wife – whom he often used as a model for his prints and here reimagined as a younger version of herself – and their childhood memories of the hairstyle. But Sekino also criticises that at the time (being 1946) contemporary customs were not considered ‘suitable for art’. Although he does not mention ‘who’ has said this, it is evident that the series' main concern was old and traditional customs of Japanese women. This was both to cater to the new foreign market which adored the romantic idea of ‘traditional Japan’ and at the same time feed the nostalgia for Japanese ideals of domestic consumers. The disjointed thoughts of the two descriptions raise several questions: was Sekino’s personal commentary intentionally left out of the ‘translation’? And why did the English text writer add his own interpretation and judgment of northern ‘costume’, and subsequently ignored the focus of original title and description of the print: the hairstyle?
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Sekino Jun’ichirō 関野準一郎 (1914-1988)
“Maid of Northern Japan” (輪髪: Round hairstyle)
Series: Selection of customs of Japanese women (Nihon jozoku sen 日本女俗選)
Date: August 1946
Publisher: Fugaku Honsha (Uemura Masurō)
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#nihonnohanga #museumfromhome #sosakuhanga #privatecollection #privatemuseum #hanga #mokuhanga #japaneseart #japaneseartwork #japanesewoodblockprint #japaneseprint #japaneseculture #woodcutprint #woodblockprint #bijin #sekinojunichiro #northernjapan #美人画 #創作版画 #日本美術 #版画 #日本の版画 #木版画

After being unable to open our museum in May this

After being unable to open our museum in May this year, we had hoped to open Nihon no hanga to the public this November with a snow-themed exhibition. After careful consideration we have come to the conclusion to not open the museum this November. We have decided to postpone our ‘Snow Country’ exhibition to November 2021. However, we will keep posting through our socials, to maintain your regular digital dose of modern Japanese woodblock prints!
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Kawase Hasui 川瀬巴水 (1883-1957)
Spring snow at Kiyomizu temple, Kyoto (春の雪京都清水)
Publisher: Doi Hangaten
Date: 1932 (1946-55 impression)
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#nihonnohanga #japansnow #snowcountry #kiyomizudera #hasuikawase #shinhanga #museumfromhome #川瀬巴水 #雪景色 #新版画 #日本の版画 #木版画

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