Shin-hanga

Shin-hanga ("new prints", "new woodcut (block) prints") is a term for an art movement of Japanese woodblock prints introduced by the publisher and art dealer Watanabe Shôzaburô (1885–1962) in 1915. The art of Shin-hanga flourished during the Taishô- (1912-1926) and early Shôwa- (1926-1989) periods. Watanabe's death 1962 can be seen as an endpoint of the Shin-hanga movement.

The art of Shin-hanga took over and revitalized traditional ukiyo-e art of the Edo- (1603-1867) and Meji- (1868-1912) periods by focusing on strictly traditional themes of landscapes (fukeiga), famous places (meishō), beautiful women (bijinga), kabuki actors (yakusha-e), and birds and flowers (kachōga). Bud inspired by European Impressionism, the Shin-hanga artists also incorporated Western elements such as effects of light, shades of colour, perspective and the expression of individual moods.

The most important artists of the Shin-hanga movement are: Itô Shinsui (1898–1972), Kawase Hasui (1883–1957), Kasamatsu Shirô (1898–1991), Natori Shunsen (1886–1960), Ohara Koson (1877–1945), Torii Kotondo (1900–1976), Yamamura Kôka (1886–1942), Yoshida Hiroshi (1876–1950) and others.