Through Tough Times, Traditional Woodblock Printers Keep Practicing Their Art; Division of Labor Remains The Same as in The Edo Period

By Tatsuya Imaoka / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

10:40 JST, May 19, 2025

NHK’s taiga historical drama “Unbound,” which depicts the life of Tsutaya Juzaburo, an exceptional publisher who discovered genius painters such as Kitagawa Utamaro and Toshusai Sharaku, is attracting a great deal of attention. In the program’s story, elegant ukiyo-e woodblock prints have a major presence. The rich expression of this art form, which flourished thanks to technological innovation during the Edo period (1603-1867), continues to fascinate people in Japan and abroad.

Ukiyo-e images, which started as illustrations for books, came to be produced as independent works in the early Edo period. At first they were only in black and white, but as their subjects expanded to include beautiful women and kabuki actors, the process of making them evolved to include layering several colors and eventually reached the level of high-quality multicolor printing.

The works became meticulously detailed and vividly colorful, as well as reasonably priced. The production process, which captured the hearts of the common people, was supported by a division of labor that continues to this day.

On the second floor of Takahashi Kobo studio in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo, which was established around the end of the Edo period, woodblock printer Noriyasu Soda, 41, applied pigments to woodblocks with a brush and then rubbed the colors into the washi paper with a rubbing pad.

He layered several colors, including indigo, yellow and black, to complete a print of Katsushika Hokusai’s “Under the Wave off Kanagawa,” from the series “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji.”

“While making sure not to erase the quality of the carving, it is important to rub in [colors] in a way that suits each work, such as making the best use of the space around Mt. Fuji,” Soda said.

The painter, who draws rough sketches; the carver, who carves woodblocks; and the printer, who layers colors onto the woodblock base, work as a team to create each image. At the center of their group is the publisher, who organizes artisans such as Soda and takes charge of planning and securing sales channels.

“Edo woodblock prints convey an impression of refinement. The techniques cannot be acquired overnight, but our artisans, who in their 40s are at their prime, are working hard,” said Yukiko Takahashi, 80, the sixth-generation representative of the studio. Takahashi also works as a publisher and printer.

With the dawn of the Meiji era (1868-1912), however, ukiyo-e gradually declined due to the introduction of technology from overseas that enabled high-speed and mass printing. Although those within the industry tried to find ways to cope with the new age through methods such as selling their art as luxury goods, the demand was not as strong as it had been in the past, and the situation remained difficult.

This was still the case in 1992, when craftsmen and producers of materials and tools established a group, now called the Tokyo Traditional Woodblock Print Association, to pass on their skills and secure materials. The masterpieces produced with the passed-down techniques were designated by the government as a traditional craft called Edo Woodblock Prints in 2007.

Although conditions for the industry remain difficult for reasons such as a decrease in the number of craftsmen, there are some positive signs, such as the attention paid to woodblock prints by celebrities from abroad.

In response to an increasing number of inquiries from overseas tourists after the end of the coronavirus pandemic, the studio began holding hands-on workshops.

It is also producing characters for confectionery manufacturers and manga, as well as works designed by internationally renowned artists.

“Even during the Edo period, craftsmen made products based on what was in vogue. We would like to pass on this tradition to the next generation, while nurturing younger artisans,” said Takahashi, who also serves as president of the woodblock print association.