About Shin-Hanga Notes

Shin-Hanga Notes is a reference site for collectors of shin-hanga Japanese woodblock prints. The goal is straightforward: put solid, practical information in one place, so you don’t have to piece it together from a dozen forums and dealer blogs.

The site is run anonymously by a collector based in Japan.

The collection

I have a small personal collection: mostly shin-hanga, plus a handful of Takehisa Yumeji prints that don’t quite fit the category. Yumeji sits in a curious position: a major Taishō-era graphic artist and poet, deeply influential on the aesthetic of the period, but outside the collaborative publisher system that defines shin-hanga proper. I include him anyway.

I’ve been in Japan for over twenty years. My first Japanese print was a Yumeji poster on a student bathroom door, which is perhaps not the most auspicious start. I began collecting seriously about five years ago. My favourite artists are Kasamatsu Shirō, Kawase Hasui, Hiroshi Yoshida, and Toshi Yoshida. Approximately the same as every other shin-hanga collector. I’m working on that.

Why hands-on matters

A few years ago I attended woodblock print parties at Mokuhankan in Asakusa, David Bull’s workshop in Tokyo. Then a printing workshop in Karuizawa. Then I bought materials to try it at home.

It’s turning out to be considerably harder than it looks. Getting clean bokashi across a sky, maintaining consistent pressure with the baren, keeping registration tight across six or eight blocks: each of these sounds simple until you try it. That experience has given me a much deeper respect for the skill involved in shin-hanga production, and a particular appreciation for sōsaku-hanga creators who do the whole thing alone.

About the content

The information here reflects what I’ve found reliable as a collector, cross-checked against auction records, specialist dealer resources, and academic sources where they exist. I’m not a dealer or an academic. When something is uncertain or disputed, I’ll say so rather than bluff.

If you’re new to the field and find the terminology unfamiliar, the glossary covers the key terms: edition types, printing techniques, publisher seals, and condition grading. The collector guides go deeper on the topics that matter most for buying decisions.

If you spot an error or have something to add, the best reference sites are built by people who care enough to get things right. I’d rather be corrected than confidently wrong.