Watanabe Kako Art Prints — The Publisher Who Also Painted
Watanabe Kako (1885-1962) occupies a unique position in Japanese art history. As the publisher who coined the term shin-hanga in 1915 and built a stable of artists including Hasui Kawase, Ito Shinsui, and Hiroshi Yoshida, he shaped the direction of 20th-century Japanese printmaking. But Kako was also a printmaker himself — producing a small number of landscape compositions that carry the atmospheric sensitivity he championed in the artists he published.
His personal prints, including Lake Kawaguchi, reveal a quiet mastery: soft gradients of sky meeting water, carefully controlled colour layering, and a sense of stillness that distinguishes shin-hanga from the busier compositions of earlier ukiyo-e. After the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake destroyed his studio and its entire inventory, Kako rebuilt from scratch — a determination that speaks to the same resilience visible in his art.
Shin-Hanga Landscapes on Museum-Grade Materials
At Kuriosis, we print Kako's work on 225g museum-grade fine art paper using Japanese archival pigment inks rated for over 100 years of colour stability. The matte surface holds the delicate tonal transitions that define shin-hanga — soft skies, layered reflections, subtle shifts in atmospheric depth. Available in A3, 50×70 cm, 70×100 cm, and A0, with frame options in oak, black, and walnut brown.
Canvas prints use 400g cotton canvas stretched over solid wood frames, available in 30×40 cm, 50×70 cm, and 70×100 cm. The textile surface adds warmth that echoes the original woodblock printing process. Optional floating frames provide a 5 mm shadow gap. Kako's work pairs naturally with prints by Hasui Kawase and other Japanese art in our collection.
Printed in Our Berlin Studio
Every Watanabe Kako print is produced in-house — colour-calibrated, printed, inspected, and packed by our team in Berlin. No outsourcing, no drop-shipping. We develop our own packaging inserts to ensure safe transit. Gallery-quality materials, honest pricing, and the care of a studio that handles every step from file to finished print.
