About the artist
Born in Kyoto, Senpan Maekawa was an important artist of the Sosaku Hanga or "Creative Print" movement. His artistic training began at Kansai Bijutsuin in 1905. Maekawa studied under Chu Asai before moving to Tokyo in 1911 to work as a cartoonist for the magazine Tokyo Puck. He held this position until the beginning of the Pacific war. It wasn't until he met print artist Kunzo Minami that Maekawa took up woodblock printing. In the true Sosaku Hanga spirit, Maekawa taught himself himself to do each step of the printing process, from design, to carving, to printing. In 1919, he exhibited these self-produced works in the first Sosaku Hanga Kyokai exhibition. This proved to be the first of many exhibitions and major group series in which Maekawa would participate over the years. An active member of the Japan Print Association from 1931 to 1960, Maekawa exhibited his work worldwide to great international acclaim.