About jpwoodblocks
JPwoodblocks has many years of experience in collecting, creating, and conducting business in the art space. JPwoodblocks was born out of identifying a need in the burgeoning world of Japanese wodoblock prints to help facilitate the uplift and proliferation of this fascinating medium. Realizing that the big auction houses continued to reflect the supply and demand for Japanese woodblocks in addition to their traditional stalwart art categories, we entered the space with a customer-focused mindset focused on only one medium that ignites our passion: japanese woodblock prints.
Woodblock prints are unique in the sense that anyone can own and enjoy an old, beautiful, masterfully crafted piece of art as an owner, in their own home. The barriers to entry are quite low for the lesser heralded artists such as Toyokuni III and even Hiroshige II. However, the value of woodblock prints, which start in the $10s of dollars for a single sheet – can escalate quite dramatically from there. Looking at an original Hokusai, those can fetch $10’s of thousands of dollars – all depending on the quality of colors and overall good structure of the print.
What’s even more fascinating, is that since the very nature of woodblocks are that they are printed, there is an unknown quantity of any particular print out in the world at any given time. What a great mystery indeed! This means that Hokusai’s Great Wave off Kanagawa – believed to be the greatest image of Japanese culture – could surface at any moment and be owned by the Metropolitan Museum of NYC, or a humble homeowner in Buffalo. It has been said that possibly a thousand sheets could make a run from a single set of woodblocks, until they were retired from over use and worn down into near sawdust.
Why buy and sell your Japanese woodblock prints with jpwoodblocks?
We have experience, expertise, care, and wisdom about the market of Japanese woodblock prints. As a medium of art that has ignited passion since traveling from Japan to Europe in the mid-to-late 19th century, it has endured the test of time to continue its popularity in the West and beyond.
JPwoodblocks is dedicated to maximizing value when it comes to buying and selling Japanese woodblocks. We are experienced in identifying the old print you might have sitting in an album or in the attic, and getting you money for your Japanese print effectively and efficiently. Japanese prints are a vast medium, a medium that was printed millions of times in different formats, by various artists, and some of those prints have various degrees of quality. You might have a masterpiece in your possession, or it might be a run-of-the-mill print. In any regard, we would love to hear from you!
About our collection for sale
jpwoodblocks strives to have Japanese woodblock prints for sale which are of top quality, top color, and have been cared for properly over the years. Our curated collection are typically from Old Masters such as Hiroshige, Hokusai, and others. We typically are not looking to curate just any old Japanese woodblock print, our woodblocks we list for sale have characteristics that make them highly collectible – such as high quality construction, colors which are vivid and haven’t been faded over the years, and an overall brilliance and aesthetic which makes our prints more highly regarded than the rest. We are looking to curate Grade A quality – which is important to any discerning collector of woodblocks.
We want to be your partner in building your collection of Japanese woodblock prints. If there is a certain artist, series, or genre you are looking to collect, get in touch with us be sending us an email to: [email protected]. We understand there are many options for collecting, however, we strive to be your number one source; and rest assured, every woodblock print for sale on this website comes with an authenticity guarantee. Our woodblock prints are always original and never reproductions.
Click here to see all Japanese prints we currently have for sale
If you are interested in selling your Japanese woodblock print, click here and submit details, with photos of the front and the back of the print.
Great Wave by Hokusai – Did you Know?
- Hokusai’s Great Wave was likely printed close to 8,000 times.
- Hokusai’s Great Wave was made in 1830 and was representative of impending cultural uncertainty within Japan via the accessibility by sea.
- The Great Wave was first created backwards before being laid on wood for carving.
- An original Hokusai Great Wave print in the 1800’s was roughly the price of a bowl of noodles – or similar to the price of a poster.
- Vincent Van Gogh, along with many other European impressionist painters, was very much influenced by Ukiyo-e artists such as Hiroshige and Hokusai.
- Ukiyo-e allowed art to flourish into all social classes by increasing accessibility through low prices.
- Hokusai was the most sough-after artist in all of Japan
- Hokusai was 70 years old when he embarked on the most ambitious work of his life – 36 Views of Mount Fuji
- Hokusai was the first Ukiyo-e artist to use landscape in his work, although these were not originally as popular as the celebrity prints
- Prussian Blue became available in 1829 and became a cornerstone color in Japanese woodblock prints
Did you know JPwoodblocks is growing the largest database of ukiyo-e prints on the internet?
We are dedicated to increasing the knowledge base of Japanese prints. Our team is growing the knowledge base and archives of masters such as Hokusai, Hiroshige, Yoshitoshi, Hiroshi Yoshida, and Kawase Hasui, and many more! We are dedicated to compiling archives of their works that hasn’t ever been widely available on the internet. Check back often for updates.