Following our successful workshops in November 2023, February and June 2024, The Japan Society is delighted to host another two Japanese woodblock printing workshops on Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 November, led by London-based artist, Hiroko Imada.

 

Japanese woodblock printing, moku-hanga, is a relief printing technique, utilising a print surface that is raised above the unnecessary areas that are cut away from the wood block. Moku-hanga differs from many printmaking techniques as it is printed by hand with a pressing instrument (baren) and uses water-based ink. 

 

This half-day workshop is an introductory course to learn the basic process by creating your own design, carving a block and printing in black and white on Japanese paper. No experience is necessary for this workshop.

 

Hiroko Imada is a London-based painter, printmaker and site-specific installation artist. She studied art at the Tokyo Zokei University and The Slade School of Fine Art and has exhibited throughout Europe and Japan. In 2021, Hiroko was commissioned by the British Museum to create a woodblock print inspired by Hokusai’s drawing and its process was recorded to create a film to run at the exhibition ‘Hokusai: The Great Picture Book of Everything’ from 30 September 2021 to January 2022 at the British Museum. Imada’s new site-specific installation work Sakura saku ('Cherry blossoms are blooming') was presented at Watt’s Gallery to coincide the exhibition, Edo Pop: Japanese Prints 1825 - 1895 earlier this year. 

 

Hiroko also specialises in teaching Japanese woodblock printing, papermaking, folded screenmaking, and hanging scroll making. Since 2000 she has been teaching the Japanese woodblock printing regularly at the British Museum and from 2017 the King’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts. Hiroko is a member of the Japan Artists Association & the International Association of Art.