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What is Sosaku Hanga? A Brief Introduction to Creative Prints

Celebrating originality and authorship, the sosaku hanga, or “creative print,” movement embraced the idea of transformation.

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Yoshitoshi: One Hundred Views of the Moon Exhibition Catalog

Explore our 108-page paperback Yoshitoshi exhibition poster and catalogue, complete with an introductory essay and illustrations.

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Extending the Narrative: Mike Magers and Ukiyo-e

From dives off the coast near Toba to intimate views within the ateliers of artisans, Michael Magers imbues each of his photographs with a story.

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A Closer Look: Yorimasa and the Nue

From vengeful spirits to mischievous monsters, ukiyo-e teem with supernatural beings and spine-chilling tales. With Halloween upon us, we turn to one such tale–the story of Yorimasa and the nue–as told by two masters of the fearsome and fantastic, Kuniyoshi and Yoshitoshi. The nue is a chimeral monster with the head of a monkey, the body of a badger (or tanuki), the legs of a tiger, and a hissing snake as a tail, depending on the source.

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Q+A with Daryl Howard

This March, we took a moment to catch up with the Daryl Howard and chat about her lifetime of Japanese woodblock printmaking, her artistic practice, her pandemic-era explorations, and her latest projects.

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Spirit of the Stage: The Theatrical Prints of Kokei Tsuruya

In Spirit of the Stage: Kokei Tsuruya, we explore the career and artistic process of the woodblock print artist and modern master of actor portraiture, Kokei Tsuruya.

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New Perspectives: Shin Hanga Beauties

Ronin Gallery invites you to consider modern “pictures of beautiful women” with fresh eyes. Featuring the work of renowned artists such as Goyo, Kotondo, and Shinsui, this exhibition looks beyond nostalgic appeal to explore these prints as vital reflections of their cultural context.

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Ronin Gallery at Bryant Park Place

Learn about the forty year history of the Ronin Gallery and the making of our new home at Bryant Park Place.

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Iconic: Images of the Floating World

In celebration of the grand opening of our new gallery at Bryant Park Place, Ronin Gallery is pleased to present a carefully curated collection of Japanese woodblock prints in Iconic: Images of the Floating World. From Hokusai’s Great Wave to Kuniyoshi’s Skeleton Specter, this exhibition presents an unprecedented opportunity to experience some of the most influential designs of ukiyo-e together in a single exhibition.

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Q+A With Roni Neuer, Ronin Gallery Founder

As we launch our latest online exhibition Founder's Favorites, we took a moment to speak with Roni Neuer, Ronin Gallery founder and executive director, about her selected works, lifetime of collecting, and advice for new collectors.

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An Artist and His City: Urban Greenspace

In this installment of the Artist and His City series we'll step outside into one of Edo's urban greenspaces through this print Moon Pine, Ueno. This aged pine earned this name not only for the "full moon" created by the circled but also for the other phases of the moon visible in its form.

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An Artist and His City: Unseen Individuals

Now that we have our bearings in Edo, the second installment of the Artist and His City series takes us to a view of Asakusa Ricefields in the midst of the Torinomachi Festival.

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A Closer Look: Courtesan Wakaume From the Tamaya

Kitagawa Utamaro (1753-1806) was a true master of ukiyo-e. From his images of bugs to his renowned portraits of women, his works exude a subtle and elegant beauty. This Asia Week, Ronin Gallery is pleased to feature Utamaro's masterpiece, Courtesan Wakaume from the Tamaya in Edomachi 1-chome (c. 1793-1794).

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Looking Back: Four Years of the Ronin|Globus Artist-in-Residence Program

Though our 2020 program was delayed, we're commemorating the fifth anniversary of the Ronin|Globus Artist-in-Residence program with a look back at four successful years and our four wonderfully talented past program winners.

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What are Kuchi-e?

Brimming with wistful beauties and romantic allusions, kuchi-e, literally translated to "mouth pictures" or "opening pictures," served as frontispiece illustrations for popular novels and literary magazines from the 1890s through the 1910s. Bound or inserted within the text, these images transcended simple illustration to capture the characters, atmosphere and sentiment of each story as a whole.

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Spring Showers

Rainy days envelop the senses, from sparkling reflections in the puddles and the steady drum of rain out the window, to the crisp smell of the air just before a storm and the sensation of cool mist against skin. As spring promises brings a change in the weather, we invite you to enjoy the beauty of rain from the warmth and comfort of your home.

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Hanami at Home

While a light chill may still hang in the air, the first blooms of delicate pink petals ensure us that spring has indeed arrived. Through this digital hanami, we invite you to explore splendor of cherry blossoms through artists' eyes.

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An Artist and His City: Getting Our Bearings

An Artist and His City invites you to explore Japan's feudal capital through the eyes of an local. But before we can explore Edo through Hiroshige's eyes, let's orient ourselves in Edo, the city at hand.

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A Closer Look: Moon of the Lonely House

From vengeful ghosts to mythical creatures, Japanese folklore teems with spine-chilling tales of the supernatural. Yet, sometimes it's the horrors enacted by humans that prove to be the most terrifying. This Halloween, we'll take a look at one such story through Yoshitoshi's Moon of the Lonely House.

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Tsukimi and the Harvest Moon

The Harvest Moon is the full moon closest to the autumn equinox, which generally occurs in the third week of September. In Japan, the beauty of this special moon is celebrated with tsukimi, or "moon viewing."

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Shinrin-yoku: What is Forest Bathing?

Shinrin-yoku, or "forest bathing," was created in Japan in the 1980s as a meditative and restorative interaction with nature. Tuning one's senses to the quiet sounds, fresh scent, and pure air, this meditative practice invites a peace of mind and a re-centering of oneself within the larger world.

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A Closer Look: The Yugao Chapter from The Tale of Genji

In The Yugao Chapter from the Tale of Genji, Yoshitoshi portrays the most mysterious of Genji's many lovers.

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Yoshitoshi's Masterpiece: The Flute Player

Yoshitoshi's Fujiwara no Yasumasa Plays the Flute by Moonlight is considered to be one of Yoshitoshi's definitive masterpieces and has its own interesting history. From the 1880s through today, the design has entranced collectors with its portrayal of the tale of a moonlit evening, banditry, and the power of beauty. We'll take a brief look into the history and variant states of this famous design.

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Haunted at Sea: The Tale of Yoshitsune and the Taira Ghosts

In the triptych Taira Ghosts Attacking Yoshitsune in Daimotsu Bay (1849-1852) , Kuniyoshi presents the legend of Yoshitsune and the vengeful ghosts of the Taira clan.

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