Shin Hanga

Book excerpt: The shin hanga ("new print") movement flourished in Japan for almost fifty years after being set in motion and nurtured by publisher Watanabe Shozaburo (1885–1962). Employing the traditional "ukiyo-e quartet"—a production system consisting of artists, carvers, printers, and publishers—shin hanga attracted Western as well as native artists. The studio teams created woodblock prints that updated traditional ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world") prints by including Kabuki actor portraits, "beauties," and landscapes and other nature themes, often birds and flowers. With lavish illustrations and expert commentary, Shin Hanga: The New Print Movement of Japan details the shin hanga movement and presents splendid reproductions of works by its principal artists.