Ukiyo-e and manga are forms of Japanese culture loved and admired throughout the world. The Japanese printing and publishing industries have generated truly unique cultural products from early modern times to the present day.
Ukiyo-e prints are the result of a collaborative process involving an artist, a carver, and a printer. The artist draws the original design, the carver meticulously carves this drawing onto a woodblock, and the printer applies water-based pigments to the block and transfers the image to washi paper, one sheet at a time. Meanwhile, the efforts of these three artisans are coordinated by a publisher. These roles are mirrored in contemporary manga publishing: the manga artist corresponds to the ukiyo-e artist, the publishing company to the publisher, and the printing company to the carver and printer.
Ukiyo-e artists primarily made monochromatic line drawings, forcing them to convey a wide range of information with simple yet highly engaging lines. Refined approaches to simplification and exaggeration, developed in ukiyo-e during the Edo period (1603-1868), paved the way for the rich expressiveness of Japanese manga today.
In Chapter 1, the contemporary ukiyo-e produced by manga artists reflect structural similarities and creative affinities between the publishing of ukiyo-e and manga. The works shown here convey profound respect for Edo ukiyo-e artists, and at the same time are imbued with a playful spirit. Familiar manga characters beckon you into the world of traditional woodcut prints.
If the artist’s drawing is analogous to a design blueprint in the production process of woodcut prints, then the artist might be seen as something of a designer. And Hokusai, one of the most famous ukiyo-e artists, quite literally displayed great talent as a designer. In his sixties, he published Shingata Komonchō (New Textile Patterns), which was later retitled Hokusai Moyō Gafu (Hokusai Design Sketchbook). The book was well-loved for many years, and the patterns it contained came to be known as “Hokusai Patterns.”
In 1986, Hokusai’s designs gained renewed attention when 15 woodblocks from Hokusai Moyō Gafu were discovered in a storeroom of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. After being studied, these antique woodblocks were shipped back to Japan, where printers carrying on traditional woodcut printing techniques made new prints from them. This project, made possible by the preservation of both the blocks themselves and the knowledge and skill of printing with them, was widely introduced to the public.
This discovery of historical woodblocks and Hokusai’s extraordinary design sensibilities inspired four Japanese designers of the time. Chapter 2 features works that connect history with the present through the power of design and technique, with artists highlighting the contemporary relevance of Hokusai’s designs through a profound understanding of the materials and methods of woodcut prints.
Traditional Japanese woodcut printing techniques, exemplified by ukiyo-e, have been passed down through generations of carvers and printers to the present day. However, since the advent of modernization, rapid social changes have made the preservation of these techniques a daunting task.
After the Shin-hanga (lit. “New Prints”) movement of the Taisho era (1912-1926), many carvers and printers with traditional skills found a new path forward in creating fine-art prints. However, the production of forward-looking works like those of the Shin-hanga movement grew increasingly difficult, forcing carvers and printers to primarily concentrate on reproducing existing masterpieces or Edo-period ukiyo-e. The woodcut printing industry entered a period in which there were few, if any, active artists capable of collaborating to produce new works.
After the war and in the period of rapid economic growth that followed (app. 1954-1973), the number of carvers and printers steadily declined. Could it truly be said that ukiyo-e techniques were being preserved if they were only used to reproduce works of the past? This question prompted a search for “contemporary ukiyo-e artists.”
Chapter 3 showcases works by artists who, between the 1970s and the 2000s, collaborated with traditional carvers and printers to create new ukiyo-e. These artists came from a highly diverse range of fields and countries. The works on view here reflect the ongoing experimentation and dedication required to keep traditional techniques vital in the current era.
The word ukiyo in ukiyo-e originally meant “this world,” and evolved to mean “the floating world,” i.e. the fleeting and ever-changing present. Returning to its original meaning, artists creating contemporary ukiyo-e can be seen as observers of our present-day world, making works that resonate with large audiences.
Chapter 4 features contemporary ukiyo-e produced by artists from around the world, most of whom were invited to take part in the International Creative Project "Contemporary Ukiyo-e". This project, one of the programs overseen by Adachi Foundation for the Preservation of Woodcut Printing, strives to pass down present-day technique to a new generation through the creation of new woodcut prints in collaborations between carvers and printers, and artists.
Although the participating artists vary widely in terms of age, nationality, and career, they approached the challenge with both reverence for traditional culture and a spirit of open-minded creativity. Their diverse interpretations of contemporary ukiyo-e are displayed in this chapter, presenting viewers with a broad spectrum of contemporary sensibilities and woodcut print expression.
Resonances among people living through the same era foster culture and shape history. We invite you to encounter many intriguing facets of contemporary ukiyo-e through the works in this chapter.
Today, approximately 50 carvers and printers in Japan are fully adept at time-honored woodcut print techniques, though the number of active artisans is even smaller. The industry is experiencing an ongoing decline, with the number of manufacturers of woodcut print materials and tools also diminishing year by year.
In response to this critical situation, the Adachi Foundation for the Preservation of Woodcut Printing was established in 1994 to ensure that the traditional techniques which gave rise to ukiyo-e are handed down to posterity. The foundation’s primary focus is training new artisans, and several carvers and printers who have completed its program are now active professionals. These trained craftspeople played a role in the production of more than half of the works featured in this exhibition.
For traditional woodcut printing to remain vibrant, the continued production of new works is essential. Since its founding, the Adachi Foundation has commissioned myriad painters and other artists to create woodcut prints, and the completed works are presented to supporting members. In 2009, the foundation introduced the Adachi Contemporary Ukiyoe Award, a public open-call award program aiming to unearth talented contemporary ukiyo-e artists.
Chapter 5 highlights some of the activities that have been undertaken over the 30-year history of the Adachi Foundation. We hope you will appreciate the foundation’s ongoing efforts to hand down these techniques.
