As the year winds down, why not welcome the new year with a personal touch? Join us for a unique opportunity to design your own New Year’s greeting card using the traditional art of Japanese woodblock printing.

After a fantastic series of workshops since 2023, The Japan Society is thrilled to host our final woodblock printing sessions of the year on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 November 2025. Led by celebrated London-based artist Hiroko Imada, these workshops have consistently sold out—so early booking is highly recommended. 

This half-day introductory course will guide you through the fundamentals of moku-hanga, a traditional Japanese relief printing technique. Unlike many printmaking methods, moku-hanga is printed by hand using a baren and water-based inks, creating delicate and expressive prints.

Participants will learn how to:

• Create an original design
• Carve their own woodblock
• Print in black and white on Japanese paper

You will be asked to think of your design in advance, so please come with a simple idea or sketch to help you get started. For inspiration, you might consider incorporating themes from the zodiac - 2026 is the Year of the Horse, which could make a striking and symbolic New Year’s print.

No prior experience is needed—just bring your creativity!

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.

Imada has been commissioned numerous times to create print works for filming projects by prestigious organisations. Most recently, the British Museum commissioned her to produce a colour woodblock print inspired by Hiroshige’s Ferry on the Fuji River, Suruga Province (c.1832), focusing on the Bokashi (gradation) technique. The printing process was filmed and displayed alongside Hiroshige’s original print in the exhibition Hiroshige: Artist of the Open Road at the British Museum from 1 May to 7 September 2025. Her site-specific installation Sakura saku (“Cherry blossoms are blooming”), originally presented at Watts Gallery in 2024 and incorporating woodblock printing techniques, is currently on display at the Museum of East Asian Art in Bath as the centrepiece of the In Bloom exhibition until 20 December 2025. In spring 2025, she also created a Cherry Blossoms faux stained glass installation for Sakura season at The Ned, sponsored by The Ned London and The House of Suntory. This marked the first time in 100 years that the historic building’s windows were altered.

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.

Booking Details
Booking essential – Priority booking for members of The Japan Society
Members of The Japan Society and their Guest: £30
Non-members: £50
All tools, equipment and materials will be provided on the day

Bookings open for non-members from 6 November 2025 (More details on how to become a member here)

Book available from Bookshop.org, Amazon, and Waterstones (translated by Stephen Snyder)
Japanese version available here