Fukami, Gashu (1953 - Present)
Fukuoka-based woodblock print artist Gashu Fukami is well known for his bold and colorful approach towards printmaking and his ability to bring an element of excitement to even the most ordinary subjects. Nowhere is his unique style better expressed than in his prints of cats, birds, horses, and other creatures. At times abstract or humorous, these colorful Japanese artworks will delight any collector who enjoys a boldness of style and a spark of wit.
Raised in Kumamoto Prefecture, Kyushu, Gashu Fukami attended Doshisha University in Kyoto, graduating in 1975. During his time in school he discovered the works of Umetaro Azechi and Takeji Asano. These artists inspired Gashu to pursue woodblock printing in 1977. The following year he traveled to the United States to study at Kaji Aso Studio in Boston. Gashu returned to Kyoto in 1983, holding his first solo show in 1988. By 1997, he had moved to Nagasaki, before settling in Fukuoka in 1999. Gashu Fukami has held multiple solo shows in Japan, as well as at Ronin Gallery in New York. Self-carved and self-printed, his colorful works carry the spirit of Sosaku Hanga into contemporary printmaking.
Sosaku Hanga | Post-WWII Japanese Prints
The Sosaku Hanga or “creative print” movement emerged in the changing Japan of the early 20th century. The movement arose from a central tenant: the artist must participate in every aspect of production. As artists shed the traditional delegation of ukiyo-e production and explored each role themselves, the act of printmaking adopted a more spontaneous, expressive attitude. Artists explored with the knife, chisel, woodblock, and ink to push to the boundaries of their medium. Originally excluded from Japan’s formal art world, Sosaku Hanga began on the pages of magazines. It was not until 1919 that the first Sosaku Hanga exhibition opened in Tokyo. Ranging from figural to abstract, the movement flourished after WWII, and found a new, eager audience among American GIs. In this collection, Ronin Gallery presents masters of Sosaku Hanga such as Onchi, Ono, Munakata, Saito, Sekino, and Mori, as well as other post-war Japanese printmakers.
2 Products
Fukami, Gashu
The Year of Snake: Chrysanthemum and Snake
JPR-207969
