Sosaku Hanga prints

"Sosaku Hanga", literally meaning "creative prints", was an approach to woodblock printing which was developed in early 20th C. Japan, and seemed to put the artist at the centre of the creative process. Rather than being subjected to the requirements and taste of the publisher, who usually had the final say in the traditional Japanese woodblock printing process, Sosaku Hanga artists designed, carved, and printed their own works, giving them complete control over the entire process, and the freedom to explore new art-styles, subjects and themes. Inspired in part by western art of the time, prints from this movement often sport a raw, unfiltered aesthetic, and were produced in limited runs, unlike the "Shin Hanga" prints of the time, which followed more traditional woodblock printing conventions.