When people think of ukiyo-e woodblock prints, many think of the
kind of art hung in art museums.
Yet the works of Hokusai and Hiroshige, which were done during
the late Edo Period, were in fact part of the popular culture of the
common people.
In order for modern people to get a better sense of the art of
woodblock prints, the prints are presented here in an entirely
different way: as three-dimensional lanterns,
called “Nirami” and “Edo no otokosyu.”

Woodblock print techniques and culture became well-established
during the Edo Period. The prints were extremely popular due to
the fact that they were easily accessible to the common people.
These techniques, uniquely developed in Japan, involve the
repeated rubbing of colors onto paper using relief contours.
Yet Yukiko Takahashi focuses not on the completed prints,
but on the design hidden in the process.
Parts of woodblock print designs are applied as symbols
on the four sides of her lantern creations.
She also takes care to choose colors that suit the modern lifestyle.

As Ms. Takahashi says, “With our lanterns, people can really enjoy
woodblock prints form a new perspective.
” The individual parts of the prints on their own have impact,
and they inspire interest and imagination in finished prints.
Though in the past woodblock prints have been regarded solely
as paintings, Ms. Takahashi shows how they can also be interesting
as graphics, a discovery she made looking at the technical process
of the multiple impressions that go into woodblock printing.