5th Grade: Japanese Wood Block Printing

Our fifth graders are learning about Japanese Wood Block printing. They learned about the earliest wood block prints found in Japan, Buddhist scrolls distributed around the year 764.

The Japanese wood block printing process was applied not only to text but also to image. It developed into the art form that gave birth to such famous images as Hokusai's Great Wave At Kanagawa and Red Fuji.

The printing process, initially limited to as few as three colors, was enriched by the artist Suzuki Harunobu, who through experimentation and thanks to generous sponsors, pioneered the use of up to twelve colors in his wood block prints.

We will be using his work, Woman Admiring Plum Blossoms At Night, ca. 1765, as a reference image for our next and final project.