Japanese Print Collection

Elise Wessels

1943-2023

to online book of condolence

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Flora in Focus

May 2023 exhibition

Our gift to the Rijksmuseum

Largest-ever gift of Japanese prints

Sōsaku hanga

View the exhibition online

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Ono Tadashige (1909-1990) Rooftops in Amsterdam, 1933

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We respectfully invite you to visit Elise one more

We respectfully invite you to visit Elise one more time in our museum.
Friday 9 June: 17:00-20:00 hrs.

#elisewessels #nihonnohanga #paulbinnie

"I am so happy when I see, at an unexpected moment

"I am so happy when I see, at an unexpected moment, a visitor in my museum who is radiating joy because of what they are viewing. That is what enriches my life."

Elise Wessels - van Houdt (1943-2023)

We are deeply saddened by the sudden loss of Elise Wessels, the founder and director of Nihon no hanga and extraordinary collector.

*UPDATE*

Tomorrow, Friday 9 June, Elise will visit Nihon no hanga | Japanese Print Collection one last time. Between17:00-20:00 hrs you are invited to pay your respects and thank her for her life's work.

An online book of condolence has been created on our website. (link in bio)

Paul Binnie (b. 1967)
Elise's Cat, 2018

#elisewessels #nihonnohanga #paulbinnie

Last Chance! // Make sure you do not miss our May

Last Chance! // Make sure you do not miss our May exhibition "Flora in Focus: Plant Life in Japanese Prints" 🌸 We are open the last two weekends of May. Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday this May: 12.00 - 17.00 hrs.

Don't forget to grab a set of postcards when you visit us. We have chosen 6 designs from the exhibition:

Yamaguchi Susumu (1897-1983)
Cat and dried persimmons
Date: 1960

Ohara Koson (1885-1945)
Myna on a Kobushi magnolia branch
Date: c. 1900-1907
Publisher: Kokkeidō (Akiyama Buemon)

Kawanishi Hide (1894-1965)
The iris season
Date: 1955

Udagawa Tamio (b. 1947)
Hanagoromo (Flower robe)
Date: 2010
Edition: 12/30

Yoshida Tōshi (1911-1995)
Half Moon Bridge
Date: 1941

Kawanishi Hide (1894-1965)
Tree peonies in a vase
Date: c. 1945

#camellia #hoshigaki #magnolia #peony #wisteria #kameido #iris #tsubaki #hanakotoba #ume #florainfocus #nihonnohanga #catsinart #flowersinart #hanga #mokuhanga #japaneseart #japaneseflowers #japaneseartwork #shinhanga #sosakuhanga #woodblockprint #japaneseprint #printmaking #reliefprinting #新版画 #日本の版画 #木版画 #創作版画

Flora in Focus 🌸 // We are open again in May: e

Flora in Focus 🌸 // We are open again in May: every Friday, Saturday and Sunday (12-5 pm). Link in bio!

This spring Nihon no hanga will highlight twentieth century Japanese prints featuring the world of flowers. In a journey through the four seasons, Flora in Focus will explore over eighty prints that examine the diversity of Japanese plant life in a variety of styles and interpretations. Well known bird and flower print (kachō hanga) artists such as Ohara Koson (1885-1945) and Itō Sōzan (1884-?) are juxtaposed with works of sōsaku hanga makers like Kawanishi Hide (1894-1965) and Maekawa Senpan (1888-1960).

Flora in Focus surveys the seasonal and cultural functions of natural life in Japan represented in modern prints, alongside the visual impact from traditional Japanese painting and botanical illustration. In addition, the ‘language of flowers’, or hanakotoba, reflects the historical appreciation of plants in Japan and offers an insight into these fresh impressions of nature. From plum blossoms (ume) to camellia (tsubaki), Flora in Focus features a diverse selection of woodblock prints from the early twentieth century to contemporary designs.

Cover:
Udagawa Tamio (b. 1947)
Hanagoromo (Cherry blossom robe)
Date: 2010
Edition: 12/30

#camellia #tsubaki #hanakotoba #ume #florainfocus #nihonnohanga #catsinart #catsandplants #hanga #mokuhanga #japaneseart #japanart #japaneseartwork #shinhanga #sosakuhanga #udagawatamio #woodblockprint #japaneseprint #printmaking #reliefprinting #新版画 #日本の版画 #木版画 #創作版画

Shin hanga or Sōsaku hanga? // In honour of our r

Shin hanga or Sōsaku hanga? // In honour of our recent gift to the @rijksmuseum we will be sharing a selection of the 1100 prints which have now moved house, in a "hanga vs hanga" format!

Dotonbori is a popular entertainment district in the city of Osaka. Which print do you prefer?

Both Tokuriki Tomikichirō and Uehara Konen designed scenes of this area during night-time. However, Tokuriki’s print shows the bright lights of the district which were fairly new in the 1930s.
Konen opts for a nostalgic view of the river with lights provided by lanterns and illuminated windows of traditional housing along its bank. His design might seem familiar, as it is ‘heavily inspired’ by the famous plum blossom print by Utagawa Hiroshige (see bonus image).

Tokuriki Tomikichirō 徳力富吉郎 (1902-2000)
Dotonbori at night (Osaka) (Dotonbori no yakei (Osaka) 道頓堀の夜景（大阪）)
Series: One hundred views of New Japan (Shin Nihon hyakkei 新日本百景)
Signature: Tomikichrō saku
Date carved and printed: 6-12-1938
Date published: 10-12-1938
Publisher: Nihon Hanga Kyōkai
Block-cutter: Tokuriki Tomikichirō
Printer: Yoshida Takesaburō
Editor: Fujimori Shizuo
Number: 3 from the first distribution set (hanpu)
Rijksmuseum: Gift of Für Elise Foundation. Nihon no hanga collection, collected by Elise Wessels, 2022

Uehara Konen 上原古年 (1878-1940)
Dotonbori (道頓堀)
Signature: Konen
Date: 1928
Publisher: Watanabe Shōzaburō
Rijksmuseum: Gift of Für Elise Foundation. Nihon no hanga collection, collected by Elise Wessels, 2022

Utagawa Hiroshige 歌川広重 (1797–1858)
Plum Estate, Kameido (Kameido umeyashiki 亀戸梅屋敷)　
Series: One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei 名所江戸百景)
Signature: Hiroshige ga
Date: 1857 (Ansei 4), 11th month
Publisher: Uoya Eikichi
Rijksmuseum: RP-P-1956-743: http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.46050

#rijksmuseum #plumblossom #hiroshige #nihonnohanga #hangavshanga #ueharakonen #tokurikitomikichiro #hiroshige #utagawahiroshige #kameido #ukiyoe #dotonbori #osaka #hanga #mokuhanga #japaneseart #japanart #japaneseartwork #shinhanga #sosakuhanga #ukiyoe #woodblockprint #japaneseprint #printmaking #reliefprinting #新版画 #日本の版画 #木版画 #創作版画

Shin hanga or Sōsaku hanga? // In honour of our r

Shin hanga or Sōsaku hanga? // In honour of our recent gift to the @rijksmuseum we will be sharing a selection of the 1100 prints which have now moved house, in a "hanga vs hanga" format!

As it has been snowing here in the Netherlands, here is an iconic landmark in Japan covered in snow. These two versions show the Golden Pavilion (or Kinkakuji) from the same angle but with a different interpretation of its serenity. Which appeals to you most?

Miki Suizan is considered a traditional Shin hanga artist. Based in Kyoto he often created designs of his city and its traditional Japanese culture. As a sōsaku hanga artist, Asada Benji’s style often contains simple lines and a muted colourscape. As you may notice his print was published not by himself but by Daimaru Art, as in the Daimaru department store. Sōsaku hanga gained traction in the 1930s and it was not uncommon for artists to collaborate with publishers and larger venues to spread the vision of the creative print movement.

Miki Suizan三木翠山 (1887-1957)
Kinkakuji in snow (no. 12) (Kinkakuji no yuki (jūni) 金閣寺の雪 (十二）)
Series: The second series selected views of Kyoto (Shinsen Kyōto meisho dai nishū新選京都名所第二集)
Date: 1925
Publisher: Satō Shōtarō
Rijksmuseum: Gift of Für Elise Foundation. Nihon no hanga collection, collected by Elise Wessels, 2022

Asada Benji 麻田辯次 (1899-1984)
Reflecting snow at Kinkakuji (Kinkakuji eisetsu 金閣寺映雪)
Series: New Kyoto landscapes (Shin Kyōto fūkei新京都風景)
Date: c. 1935
Publisher: Daimaru Art
Edition: 17/100
Nihon no hanga Collection, Amsterdam

#nihonnohanga #hangavshanga #mikisuizan #asadabenji #kinkakuji #snowcountry #hanga #mokuhanga #japaneseart #japanart #japaneseartwork #privatecollection #privatemuseum #letitsnow #yuki #kyoto #winterinkyoto #shinhanga #sosakuhanga #ukiyoe #museumfromhome #woodblockprint #japaneseprint #printmaking #reliefprinting #新版画 #日本の版画 #木版画 #創作版画

Sōsaku hanga or Shin hanga? // In honour of our r

Sōsaku hanga or Shin hanga? // In honour of our recent gift to the @rijksmuseum we will be sharing a selection of the 1100 prints which have now moved house, in a "hanga vs hanga" format.

The subject of bathing is often used in both traditions of 20th century woodblock prints. Maekawa Senpan was an afficionado of Japanese bathculture and visited hotsprings all over Japan. He wrote extensively on them in his Hotspring Notes. His design is a good example of a more impressionistic type of printing with pigments, with areas left unprinted in this 'sesame seed-style' printing (goma-zuri). Torii Kotondo's print shows the fine details often employed by the expert block-cutters and printers in Shin hanga: note the delicate shoji screens and a view of flowering lilies in the garden.

Which 🍑 do you prefer? 😁

Torii Kotondo 鳥居言人 (1900-1976)
Hotspring fragrance (Yu no ka 湯の香)
Date: 1930
Publisher: Kawaguchi
Edition: 133/350
Rijksmuseum: Gift of Für Elise Foundation. Nihon no hanga collection, collected by Elise Wessels, 2022

Maekawa Senpan 前川千帆 (1888-1960)
Hotspring (Onsen 温泉)
Date: 1953
Publisher: Maekawa Senpan
Block-cutter: Maekawa Senpan
Printer: Maekawa Senpan
Rijksmuseum: Gift of Für Elise Foundation. Nihon no hanga collection, collected by Elise Wessels, 2022

#bijinga #bijinhanga #bijin #womeninart #bathingbeauty #onsen #shinhanga #新版画 #toriikotondo #maekawasenpan #nihonnohanga #hanga #mokuhanga #japaneseart #japaneseartwork #rijksmuseum #ukiyoe #museumfromhome #woodblockprint #japaneseprint #printmaking #reliefprinting #japaneseart #美人画 #日本の版画 #木版画 #buttsinart

Hanga vs hanga // In honour of our recent gift to

Hanga vs hanga // In honour of our recent gift to the @rijksmuseum we will be sharing a selection of the 1100 prints which have now moved house, in a "hanga vs hanga" format.

Mount Fuji needs no introduction 🗻 This sacred place was a source of inspiration for various artists such as sōsaku hanga maker Koizumi Kishio. His "Thirty-six views of the sacred peak of mount Fuji" was the last series he made before he died in 1945. Ishikawa Toraji was an independent printmaker. He created and published his own designs and hired expert block-cutters and printers to execute his vision.

Which of these autumnal Fuji scenes do you prefer? Vote in our story!

Ishikawa Toraji 石川寅治 (1875-1964)
Fuji in autumn from Yoshida (Yoshida yori mitaru aki no Fuji 吉田より見たる秋の富士)
Series: Ten types of landscapes (Fūkei jisshu 風景十種)
Date: 1934 (later printing)
Block-cutter: Yamagishi Kazue
Printer: Matsuzaki Keisaburō
Publisher: Ryokūsō Gashitsu (Ishikawa Toraji)
Rijksmuseum: Gift of Für Elise Foundation. Nihon no hanga collection, collected by Elise Wessels, 2022

Koizumi Kishio 小泉癸巳男 (1893-1945)
Fuji in Autumn (Aki no Fuji 秋の不二)
Series: Thirty-six views of the sacred peak of mount Fuji (Seihō fugaku sanjūrokkei 聖峰富嶽三十六景)
Date: 1943
Block-cutter: Koizumi Kishio
Printer: Koizumi Kishio
Publisher: Koizumi Kishio
Rijksmuseum: Gift of Für Elise Foundation. Nihon no hanga collection, collected by Elise Wessels, 2022

#nihonnohanga #hangavshanga #ishikawatoraji #koizumikishio #mountfuji #fuji #mountainview #hanga #mokuhanga #japaneseart #japanart #japaneseartwork #privatecollection #privatemuseum #autumnvibes #autumninjapan #shinhanga #sosakuhanga #ukiyoe #museumfromhome #woodblockprint #japaneseprint #printmaking #reliefprinting #新版画 #日本の版画 #木版画 #創作版画

Shin hanga or Sōsaku hanga? // In honour of our r

Shin hanga or Sōsaku hanga? // In honour of our recent gift to the @rijksmuseum we will be sharing a selection of the 1100 prints which have now moved house, in a "hanga vs hanga" format!

Subjects such as snow often overlap between these two different Japanese print traditions from the 20th century. Which one is your favourite snow print? Shin hanga by Kawase Hasui or this very early example of sōsaku hanga by Kawabata Ryūshi?

Kawase Hasui 川瀬巴水 (1883-1957)
Ochanomizu (お茶の水)
Series: Twenty views of Tokyo (Tōkyō nijikkei 東京二十景)
Date: 1926
Publisher: Watanabe Shōzaburō
Rijksmuseum: Gift of Für Elise Foundation. Nihon no hanga collection, collected by Elise Wessels, 2022

Kawabata Ryūshi 川端龍子 (1885-1966)
Gull in snow (Secchū no kamome 雪中のカモメ)
Date: c. 1916
Publisher: Kawabata Ryūshi
Rijksmuseum: Gift of Für Elise Foundation. Nihon no hanga collection, collected by Elise Wessels, 2022

#nihonnohanga #hangavshanga #kawasehasui #kawabataryushi #ochanomizu #snowcountry #hanga #mokuhanga #japaneseart #japanart #japaneseartwork #privatecollection #privatemuseum #snowynight #yuki #wintervibes #winterinjapan #shinhanga #sosakuhanga #ukiyoe #museumfromhome #woodblockprint #japaneseprint #printmaking #reliefprinting #新版画 #日本の版画 #木版画 #創作版画

Next week (9 - 12 December), we will show an exclu

Next week (9 - 12 December), we will show an exclusive presentation of contemporary Japanese lacquerware from Echizen.

The Echizen region in Japan’s Fukui prefecture has been producing quality lacquerware for many hundreds of years. Contrary to the many production centres of Japan that struggle to adopt to modern times, Echizen boasts a thriving community that matches experienced masters with young, creative students who collaborate in future-proofing lacquerware intended for daily use. In addition to adopting new designs and a range of new pastel colours, Echizen seeks to promote lacquerware as a natural and sustainable alternative to the many plastic items that have come to dominate our lives. Starting in 2015, the region collaborated with foreign designers in order to push traditional lacquerware towards the realm of contemporary product design.

P.S. Our Living Colour exhibition will also be open to visitors!

#japaneseart #nihonnohanga #echizen #urushi #lacquer #japanlacquer #handmadeartist #lacquerart #lacquerware #japanesedesign #livingcolour #japaneseartist #japaneseartisan #productdesign

Living Colour update! This november our curator wi

Living Colour update! This november our curator will give a guided tour (in Dutch) of our latest exhibition Living Colour. For more information see #linkinbio

We also have some great gifts fo the upcoming holidays. Check them out at our museum this November!

Living Colour postcards: €5 | 7 designs
2023 Desk Calendar: €8 | featuring 12 different prints
Birthday Calendar: €10 | featuring 12 different prints

#nihonnohanga #fukamigashu #livingcolour #hanga #mokuhanga #japaneseart #japanart #japaneseartwork #japanesewoodblockprint #japaneseprint #japaneseculture #woodcut #woodcutprint #woodblockprint #sosakuhanga #creativeprint #kachoga #創作版画 #日本美術 #版画 #日本の版画

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