Sosaku Hanga - The sosaku hanga or creative print movement in Japan began in the early part of the twentieth century. Unlike the traditional collaborative woodblock printing process utilizing a separate artist, carver, and printer along with a publisher, the sosaku hanga movement emphasized artist involvement in designing, carving, and printing the blocks himself, as the sole creator of his work. The movement gained popularity following World War II, earning international acclaim and expanding subject matter to include abstraction. Today most contemporary Japanese print artists design, carve, and print their woodblocks themselves, continuing the vibrant creative tradition established with ukiyo-e. Sosaku hanga prints encompass a wide range of subjects and expressive artistic styles, and are a great choice for a collector interested in modern and contemporary prints.

Comments - Charming image of young children fishing from pilings in the water, shown in black silhouette against a sunset sky, with a mountain along the horizon in the distance at upper left. Printed on yellow paper, Murakami utilized the grain of the wood to print the red streaks across the sky. A self-taught painter, after WWII Gyojin Murakami studied with the sosaku hanga and folk art master Shiko Munakata and began creating woodblock prints.

Signed - G. Murakami in pencil in bottom margin
Numbered - 37/180 (or possibly 37/100, bottom number is slightly smudged and unclear)

Artist - Gyojin Murakami (1911 - 1998)

Image Size - 7 1/4" x 15 1/8" + margins as shown

Condition - This print with excellent color and detail as shown. Spotting, slight toning and wrinkling, diagonal fold at corner. Please see photos for details.