川嶋秀勝
かわしま ひでかつ
Woodblock carving and woodblock printing
Woodblock printing: A relief printing technique using wood as the printing plate. Characters and images are carved in reverse onto a wooden block. Ink or pigment is applied to the plate surface, and paper is pressed against it to transfer the image. During the Muromachi period, it was used to print fairy tale books and songbooks. Around the mid-Edo period, multi-color woodblock prints (nishiki-e) emerged, employing separate black ink and color plates for layered printing.This involved a division of labor among artists, carvers, and printers. Based on the artist’s original design, the carver engraved the woodblock, and the printer executed the print.
Arakawa Ward is home to three carvers and three printers.
About the Craftsman
From 1959, he studied under Mr. Kōji Sekioka (second-generation Senrei, former holder of Arakawa Ward’s Intangible Cultural Property designation) and mastered the craft.He has worked across various genres, including ukiyo-e reproductions, contemporary refined prints, and woodblock adaptations of oil paintings. In recent years, he has also produced Buddhist paintings. He plans and creates senjafuda (temple visit talismans) and produces contemporary prints.
Through the Arakawa Craftsman Development Project, he has dedicated himself to nurturing successors. His teacher, Sekioka Kōji’s grandson, Ogawa Nobuto, serves as his successor and jointly operates the workshop.
Achievements
- Designated as an Arakawa Ward Registered Intangible Cultural Property Holder for Fiscal Year 2005
- Designated as an Intangible Cultural Property Holder of Arakawa Ward for Fiscal Year 2017
Contact Us
- Location: 3-11-8 Nishi-Nippori, Arakawa Ward, Tokyo Sekio Woodblock Print Studio
- Hours: 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM (Closed on Sundays)
- Phone/Fax: 03-3821-1892
- Homepage: Sekioka Woodblock Print Studio
- Introductory Video: Living with Tradition—Woodblock Printing by Hidekatsu Kawashima
