[Kara nishiki (Chinese brocade) with red background] [Kinran (gold brocade) with hollyhock on blue background].

Woodblock printing in Japan (木版画, moku-hanga) is a technique best known for its use in the ukiyo-e artistic genre of single sheets, but it was also used for printing books in the same period. Woodblock printing had been used in China for centuries to print books, long before the advent of movable type, but was widely adopted in Japan during the Edo period (1603-1868). Woodblock printing appeared in Japan at the beginning of Edo period, when Tokugawa shogunate was ruled by th​e Japanese society. This technique originated from China, where it was used to print books for many centuries. Its original name is ‘moku-hanga’ and it has a wide usage in artistic genre of ‘ukiyo-e’. As opposed to western tradition, where artists used oil-based inks for woodcuts, moku-hanga technique uses water-based inks. That is why those prints had colors so vivid, as well as glazes, and transparency. This collection describes Japanese printmaking different schools and movements. The most notable of them were: - From 1700: Torii school - From 1700-1714: Kaigetsudō school - From 1720s: Katasukawa school, including the artists Shunsho and Shuntei - From 1725: Kawamata school including the artists Suzuki Harunobu and Koryusai - From 1786: Hokusai school, including the artists Hokusai, Hokuei and Gakutei - From 1794: Kitagawa school, including the artists Utamaro I, Kikumaro I and II - From 1842: Utagawa school, including the artists Kunisada and Hiroshige - From 1904: Sōsaku-hanga, "Creative Prints" movement - From 1915: Shin-hanga "New Prints" school, including Hasui Kawase and Hiroshi Yoshida Woodblock prints were provided by the Library of Congress and cover the period from 1600 to 1980.

Among the most popular and prominent Japanese motifs are bamboo, pine, cherry blossoms, plum blossoms, maple leaves, peony, camellia, crane, and chidori (plover). Japanese patterns have a hidden meaning. When found on the kimono and other Japanese clothing, they are called wagara. Wagara is a traditional Japanese pattern design that dates back to the 8th century Heian period of Japan. These traditional and historic designs each have a very specific meaning and are often associated with a specific season or occasion. Many of these patterns are inspired by nature. The Seigaiha (Sayagata) pattern is surely one of the most famous in Japan. It represents waves formed by concentric circles creating small arcs, interlocking manji - ancient Buddhist symbols. Seigaiha literally means 'blue sea and waves. It was used to illustrate seas and oceans on maps. Seigaiha is a symbol of water representing surges of good luck.