関岡裕介
せきおか ゆうすけ
Woodblock carving and woodblock printing
Woodblock printing 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 for printing fairy tale books and songbooks. Around the middle of the Edo period, multi-color woodblock prints (nishiki-e) emerged, utilizing separate black ink blocks and color blocks for layered printing.
A division of labor among artists, carvers, and printers. Based on the artist’s original drawing, the carver engraves the woodblock, and the printer completes the print.
About the Craftsman
Sengō Sekioka, the son of woodblock printer Sengō Sekioka (the second-generation Senrei, former holder of Arakawa Ward’s Intangible Cultural Property designation), is the third-generation Senrei.In 1976, after graduating high school, he aspired to become a carver and apprenticed under the fourth-generation woodblock carver, Mr. Okura Hanbee (Bunkyo Ward), whose family had continued the craft since the Edo period. After seven years of training, he mastered the techniques and initially established his own studio at the current location. Later, starting in 1989, he worked at the Adachi Printmaking Institute, and after five years, he became independent once more. In 2013, he succeeded the name “Senrei” as the third generation, following his grandfather and father who were printers.
Within the collaborative woodblock print production system—where publishers commission work divided among artists, carvers, and printers—he works as a carver, producing the printing blocks. His work includes ukiyo-e, contemporary prints, and senjafuda (temple/shrine plaques).
He serves as the coordinator for the Senjafuda association “Toto Nōshaku Mutsumi,” which has been involved in its management since the time of the first Senrei.
He is also dedicated to nurturing successors through the Arakawa Craftsman Development Project.
Achievements
- Designated as an Arakawa Ward Registered Intangible Cultural Property Holder for Fiscal Year 2013
- Certified as a Traditional Craftsman by the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry in Fiscal Year 2014
Contact Us
- Location: 3-11-8 Nishi-Nippori, Arakawa Ward, Tokyo Sekio Senrei Woodblock Print Studio
- Hours: 9:30 AM to 6:00 PM (Closed on Sundays)
- Phone: 03-3821-1892
- Fax: 03-3821-1892
