About the Collection
This collection attempts to illustrate the work of a broad number of Japanese artists from major artistic movements whose designs were printed in small and miniature formats using the woodblock printing process. Small and miniature prints are here defined as those whose size is smaller than chuban (approximately 7.5 by 10 inches or 19 x 25.5 cm). The collection represents one couple’s hobby. The collectors do not have degrees in Japanese art history nor possess a command of the Japanese language. Additional details are constantly being edited as more information becomes available.
Prints in the collection were preferably produced during the lifetime of the artists, although posthumous printings and reproductions have been included for illustrative purposes. Dating miniature prints is not always possible since these prints typically do not include additional information (dates, variations of seals, text in margins etc.) that would indicate whether they are contemporary to the artist’s lifetime or posthumous printings. Dates have therefore been determined based on provenance, paper quality and condition, comparison to works in other collections, or other attributes such as information on associated envelopes, cards, etc.
Many prints, particularly senjafuda, matchbox prints, pochibukuro and some postcards lack reference to the artist or the artist has yet to be identified. Occasionally, artist names are actually publisher “house names” rather than a specific artist. Such prints frequently represent variations of existing print designs by other artists.
All images represent prints that are currently held in the collection. Images have been scanned or (rarely) photographed. For aesthetic reasons, scans (not the prints) have been digitally cropped to reveal the image without margins. The prints can be viewed with margins by clicking on individual gallery images. Although Japanese woodblock artists and woodblock carvers were exceptionally skilled, they do not appear to have been particularly concerned about the accuracy of right angles. For this reason, a minimal amount of the edge of an image may not be visible when initially viewed on this website. Print dimensions reference the visible image as presented here, not the paper size which would also account for margins.
This site is under constant construction and refinement. The primary objective is to share these images with the public for their enjoyment and education.
If you have questions about or information for the collection, please send us an email.
Defining Miniature Prints
Small and miniature formats are usually overlooked in discussions of Japanese woodblock prints. The most commonly encountered format for traditional Japanese prints is oban, roughly 10 by 15 inches, in either horizontal or vertical layout. Additional print sizes represent divisions of oban and include chuban (half oban), koban (quarter oban), and yatsugiri-ban or postcard size (one eighth oban) and others.
Chuban, with dimensions of roughly 7.5 x 10 inches, or 19 x 25.5 cm, is occasionally referred to as medium in size. Although prints with lesser dimensions have sometimes been referred to as “small” or “miniature”, there is no regular convention for these descriptors. Surimono, privately published and exceptionally printed prints for exchange within poetry circles, occasionally are referred to as miniatures and were typically printed in shikishiban format (roughly 8 by 9 inches), which is only slightly less in surface area than that of a chuban print. The term surimono is occasionally used in reference to any small woodblock print, particularly those that are tipped into greeting cards. For the purpose of this collection, prints smaller than chuban are considered miniature.
The production of woodblock prints declined significantly within Japan by the end of the 19th century as new more economical printing techniques were employed. In addition, the universality of woodblock printing for all printing needs and the technique’s production of multiples contributed to the categorization of woodblock prints as a lower form of art in their country of origin. However, the production of small and miniature formatted prints soon increased due to the interest of westerners who, impressed with the Japanese’ superior skills in multi-color woodblock printing, presented a new market for woodblock prints.
This new potential market to Westerners was recognized by several woodblock print publishers. They produced reproductions of prints by well-known artists from the Edo era such as Utamaro, Hiroshige, and Hokusai, but also embarked to revive the woodblock print making tradition with the production of shin hanga (“new prints”), which were marketed directly to foreigners. Some of these new prints were miniaturizations of shin hanga designs. Others were designed exclusively as miniatures.
Most miniature prints were (and continue to be) produced with the same attention to design, craftsmanship and technique as is associated with more larger format prints. However, the smaller format is often characterized by design simplification and more limited use of colors and color gradations. Additionally, slight variations are often noted between miniature prints of the same design as multiple copies of the design may have been carved into the same block for efficiency and economic reasons. Miniatures reflective of diminished production standards also exist (as do larger format prints). This can be attributed to the wearing down of blocks from over production and/or poor registration associated with hasty printing to meet the demand for a popular image.
Many small and miniature woodblock prints were produced for ephemeral purposes. These include card enclosures, postcards, matchbox covers, calendars, magazine illustrations, toy prints, money envelopes, and senjafuda (votives pasted to the surfaces of temples and shrines). Although they might be saved, many were often discarded after they served their purpose. However, collectors interested in specific woodblock genres (e.g. postcards, matchbox, senjafuda, ex-libris) established exchange clubs and often commissioned artworks for their exchanges, which are more likely to have survived over time.
Considering the purpose of many miniature prints, it is not surprising that there is considerable representation of famous sites, kabuki actors, iconographic images of Japan, and winter themes, the latter which were frequently tipped into holiday cards. As such, the imagery within miniatures often presents as more decorative (and at times even kitschy) compared to prints produced in larger formats by the same artists. However, many are masterpieces in design and execution which have yet to receive adequate recognition.
Gary Christenson, MD