The Japanese Woodblock Prints Companion

Japanese woodblock prints, epitomized by iconic works such as Hokusai's "Great Wave", Utamaro's alluring portraits of beauties, Hiroshige's "Evening Shower over óhashi Bridge andAtake", and Kuniyoshi's tattooed warriors, represent one of the most significant and influential art forms in history. While the artists of these masterpieces are celebrated worldwide, the other people who played pivotal roles in their creation, visual style, and distribution remain largely overlooked.

Publishers were the driving force behind the highly commercial world of Japanese printmaking; they assessed market demand, commissioned designs, and assumed the financial risks of production. Once an artist completed a design, the publisher orchestrated the entire process - seeking censor approval, engaging block carvers and printers, and managing distribution. The Japanese Woodblock Prints Companion: Publishers, Carvers, Printers, Censors, Poetry Clubs, and Collectors delves into the production process of Japanese woodblock prints, emphasizing the role of these enablers without whom the great works that inspired Western artists like Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec would never have come to life.

This volume profiles over 2,000 publishers and almost 900 carvers and printers, includes comprehensive lists of publications by almost 1,000 artists, and reproduces more than 2,800 publisher seals and 1,300 carver and printer seals, covering a period from the 1640s to the 1990s. Each publisher/printer/carver entry details their place of operation, clientele, active periods, and issued print series in chronological order, thus providing insights into their interactions. These entries are followed by lists of censor and collector seals. This companion is an essential reference for scholars and collectors, providing a comprehensive resource on the often-unsung people who have shaped the history of Japanese woodblock prints.