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Japanese Woodblock Prints. 45th Ed. (45th Edition)

Description:

From Edouard Manet’s portrait of naturalist writer Émile Zola sitting among his Japanese art finds to Van Gogh’s meticulous copies of the Hiroshige prints he devotedly collected, 19th-century pioneers of European modernism made no secret of their love of Japanese art. In all its sensuality, freedom, and effervescence, the woodblock print is single-handedly credited with the wave of japonaiserie that first enthralled France and, later, all of Europe—but often remains misunderstood as an “exotic” artifact that helped inspire Western creativity.

The fact is that the Japanese woodblock print is a phenomenon of which there exists no Western equivalent. Some of the most disruptive ideas in modern art—including, as Karl Marx put it, that “all that is solid melts into air”—were invented in Japan in the 1700s and expressed like never before in the designs of such masters as Hokusai, Utamaro, and Hiroshige in the early 19th century.

This volume, derived from the original XXL monograph, lifts the veil on a much-loved but little-understood art form by presenting the most exceptional Japanese woodblock prints in their historical context. Ranging from the 17th-century development of decadent ukiyo-e, or “pictures of the floating world,” to the decline and later resurgence of prints in the early 20th century, the images collected in this edition make up an unmatched record not only of a unique genre in art history, but also of the shifting mores and cultural development of Japan.

From mystical mountains to snowy passes, samurai swordsmen to sex workers in shop windows, each piece is explored as a work of art in its own right, revealing the stories and people behind the motifs. We discover the four pillars of the woodblock print—beauties, actors, landscapes, and bird-and-flower compositions—alongside depictions of sumo wrestlers, kabuki actors, or enticing courtesans—rock stars who populated the “floating world” and whose fan bases fueled the frenzied production of woodblock prints. We delve into the horrifying and the obscure in prints where demons, ghosts, man-eaters, and otherworldly creatures torment the living—stunning images that continue to influence Japanese manga, film, and video games to this day. We witness how, in their incredible breadth, from everyday scenes to erotica, the martial to the mythological, these works are united by the technical mastery and infallible eye of their creators and how, with tremendous ingenuity and tongue-in-cheek wit, publishers and artists alike fought to circumvent government censorship.

As part of our 40th anniversary series, this edition compiles the finest extant impressions from museums and private collections across the globe in a lightweight, accessible format, offering extensive descriptions to guide us through this frantic period in Japanese art history.

Read more

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A quarter-millennium’s worth of prints reveal the evolving tastes of Japanese artists over the ages, and the impact of this art form on global culture.” ― The New York Times

“A dreamlike stroll through the most beautiful landscapes of this fantasized Japan.” ― Vogue

“I envy the Japanese for the enormous clarity that pervades their work... they draw a figure with a few well-chosen lines as if it were as effortless as buttoning up one’s waistcoat.” ― Vincent van Gogh

About the Author

Andreas Marks studied East Asian art history at the University of Bonn and obtained his PhD in Japanology from Leiden University with a thesis on 19th-century actor prints. From 2008 to 2013 he was director and chief curator of the Clark Center for Japanese Art in Hanford, California, and since 2013 has been the Mary Griggs Burke Curator of Japanese and Korean Art and director of the Clark Center for Japanese Art at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. In 2024, he was awarded the commendation of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs for his contributions to the promotion of Japanese culture.

Reviews:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful collection, excellent information

R.D. · October 2, 2025

Beautifully put together book. Print reproductions are high-quality, accompanying text is very thoughtful and informative.

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully designed

S.P. · July 13, 2025

Detailed history of Japanese woodblocks up to 1938. Beautifully designed cover and endpapers. Everday life, including a few sexually explicit pieces, are represented.

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful well made artbook, high quality print

J.G. · August 1, 2023

I've been reading it for about 1 week now, it is really beautiful and sturdy, the narrative although a little west-oriented shows a deep knowledge of Japanese art bibliography and resources, providing you with precise names, nice historic facts and also original Japanese concepts and words while also driving the conversation of Japanese woodblock printing around its social importance. The curious thing about this book is that it has a purple long page that allows you to quickly go back and forth between the printing artis s (cronologically at 1/3 of the book) and the historic narrative that starts from the beginning. Overall, I love to be able to have this book in small format as I'm allowed to take it with me to Cafe's and Parks and appreciate the printings, is always well appreciated to have really, really crisps images and art reproductions (as you can see in the macro image), I've not found yet any image pixelated or with bad resolution, is just a really cool book for people that love to read about art history and just appreciate through paper this masterpieces, much better that a screen.ONE THING: the handling made the book appear with a little corner scrape (very tiny but you know) but because the book has hooked me so much I can pass on that. Just to keep in mind because this book is heavy.

5.0 out of 5 stars superb volume

T.W. · May 10, 2025

Fantastic book, superb design and production. In addition to great content!

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice!

G.Z. · February 23, 2025

As advertised...and price was great 👍

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Exploration

R.R. · May 13, 2025

Extremely happy with the quality of pictures. The commentary for individual prints was appreciated. Great exposure to different eras of Japanese print making for someone with some art history background, but limited exposure to Japanese art outside of the major prints likes the views of Mount Fuji, or the Japanese bridge. Would recommend or consider gifting my current copy to a friend, or have it as a decoration given taschen puts some effort into their book covers.

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorite Coffee Table books.

D. · June 26, 2024

Taschen books are almost always the best quality coffee table books you can buy, and this one is no exception. I love woodblock art and this book is a great way to look at amazing art that I wish I could hang in my home, since my wife and I disagree greatly on art.This book has about 500 different artworks inside and will fulfill your needs to see amazing art of Samurai, Oni, Ghosts and other really cool stuff.

5.0 out of 5 stars very good Book

M.G. · May 19, 2025

GORGEOUS

The best book about woodblock prints.

I.D. · September 30, 2025

Beautiful illustrations.

Excellent

A. · February 20, 2024

Tremendous. Roughly a colour print on every other page. Love how it's chronological. Not a criticism at all but the prints are largely of human figures, if you're looking for more of the aesthetic landscape style of someone like kawase hasui then this isn't the book.But yea, very nice and interesting text explanations and info on each colour print. Bit of a steal at £20

Ottimo regalo

D.P. · July 3, 2025

Preso per un regalo che è stato molto apprezzato. Packaging perfetto e spedizione veloce.

Mukemmel.

O.O.G. · July 7, 2025

Kesinlikle tavsiye edilir.

Muy buen libro con explicaciones e imágenes magníficas. M

C.A. · February 22, 2024

Me llegó en el tiempo estimado y en perfecto estado. Tiene una gran encuadernación y es justo lo que buscaba. Está en inglés y lo recomiendo para amantes de este género porque si bien no es la edición completa, que tiene más páginas y en un formato más grande, me parece más que suficiente. Estoy muy satisfecho con la compra.

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Japanese Woodblock Prints. 45th Ed. (45th Edition)

Product ID: U383658753K
Condition: New

4.8

AED16089

Price includes VAT & Import Duties
Type: Hardcover
Availability: In Stock

Quantity:

|

Order today to get by 7-14 business days

Delivery fee of AED 20. Free for orders above AED 200.

Returns & Warranty policies

Imported From: United States

At BOLO, we work hard to ensure the products you receive are new, genuine, and sourced from reputable suppliers.

BOLO is not an authorized or official retailer for most brands, nor are we affiliated with manufacturers unless specifically stated on a product page. Instead, we source verified sellers, authorized distributors or directly from the manufacturer.

Each product undergoes thorough inspection and verification at our consolidation and fulfilment centers to ensure it meets our strict authenticity and quality standards before being shipped and delivered to you.

If you ever have concerns regarding the authenticity of a product purchased from us, please contact Bolo Support. We will review your inquiry promptly and, if necessary, provide documentation verifying authenticity or offer a suitable resolution.

Your trust is our top priority, and we are committed to maintaining transparency and integrity in every transaction.

All product information, images, descriptions, and reviews originate from the manufacturer or from trusted sellers overseas. BOLO is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or an authorized retailer for most brands listed on our website unless stated otherwise.

While we strive to display accurate information, variations in packaging, labeling, instructions, or formulation may occasionally occur due to regional differences or supplier updates. For detailed or manufacturer-specific information, please contact the brand directly or reach out to BOLO Support for assistance.

Unless otherwise stated, all prices displayed on the product page include applicable taxes and import duties.

BOLO operates in accordance with the laws and regulations of United Arab Emirates. Any items found to be restricted or prohibited for sale within the UAE will be cancelled prior to shipment. We take proactive measures to ensure that only products permitted for sale in United Arab Emirates are listed on our website.

All items are shipped by air, and any products classified as “Dangerous Goods (DG)” under IATA regulations will be removed from the order and cancelled.

All orders are processed manually, and we make every effort to process them promptly once confirmed. Products cancelled due to the above reasons will be permanently removed from listings across the website.

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Visit the TASCHEN Store

Japanese Woodblock Prints. 45th Ed. (45th Edition)

Product ID: U383658753K
Condition: New

4.8

Japanese Woodblock Prints. 45th Ed. (45th Edition)-0
Type: Hardcover

AED16089

Price includes VAT & Import Duties
Availability: In Stock

Quantity:

|

Order today to get by 7-14 business days

Delivery fee of AED 20. Free for orders above AED 200.

Returns & Warranty policies

Imported From: United States

At BOLO, we work hard to ensure the products you receive are new, genuine, and sourced from reputable suppliers.

BOLO is not an authorized or official retailer for most brands, nor are we affiliated with manufacturers unless specifically stated on a product page. Instead, we source verified sellers, authorized distributors or directly from the manufacturer.

Each product undergoes thorough inspection and verification at our consolidation and fulfilment centers to ensure it meets our strict authenticity and quality standards before being shipped and delivered to you.

If you ever have concerns regarding the authenticity of a product purchased from us, please contact Bolo Support. We will review your inquiry promptly and, if necessary, provide documentation verifying authenticity or offer a suitable resolution.

Your trust is our top priority, and we are committed to maintaining transparency and integrity in every transaction.

All product information, images, descriptions, and reviews originate from the manufacturer or from trusted sellers overseas. BOLO is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or an authorized retailer for most brands listed on our website unless stated otherwise.

While we strive to display accurate information, variations in packaging, labeling, instructions, or formulation may occasionally occur due to regional differences or supplier updates. For detailed or manufacturer-specific information, please contact the brand directly or reach out to BOLO Support for assistance.

Unless otherwise stated, all prices displayed on the product page include applicable taxes and import duties.

BOLO operates in accordance with the laws and regulations of United Arab Emirates. Any items found to be restricted or prohibited for sale within the UAE will be cancelled prior to shipment. We take proactive measures to ensure that only products permitted for sale in United Arab Emirates are listed on our website.

All items are shipped by air, and any products classified as “Dangerous Goods (DG)” under IATA regulations will be removed from the order and cancelled.

All orders are processed manually, and we make every effort to process them promptly once confirmed. Products cancelled due to the above reasons will be permanently removed from listings across the website.

Description:

From Edouard Manet’s portrait of naturalist writer Émile Zola sitting among his Japanese art finds to Van Gogh’s meticulous copies of the Hiroshige prints he devotedly collected, 19th-century pioneers of European modernism made no secret of their love of Japanese art. In all its sensuality, freedom, and effervescence, the woodblock print is single-handedly credited with the wave of japonaiserie that first enthralled France and, later, all of Europe—but often remains misunderstood as an “exotic” artifact that helped inspire Western creativity.

The fact is that the Japanese woodblock print is a phenomenon of which there exists no Western equivalent. Some of the most disruptive ideas in modern art—including, as Karl Marx put it, that “all that is solid melts into air”—were invented in Japan in the 1700s and expressed like never before in the designs of such masters as Hokusai, Utamaro, and Hiroshige in the early 19th century.

This volume, derived from the original XXL monograph, lifts the veil on a much-loved but little-understood art form by presenting the most exceptional Japanese woodblock prints in their historical context. Ranging from the 17th-century development of decadent ukiyo-e, or “pictures of the floating world,” to the decline and later resurgence of prints in the early 20th century, the images collected in this edition make up an unmatched record not only of a unique genre in art history, but also of the shifting mores and cultural development of Japan.

From mystical mountains to snowy passes, samurai swordsmen to sex workers in shop windows, each piece is explored as a work of art in its own right, revealing the stories and people behind the motifs. We discover the four pillars of the woodblock print—beauties, actors, landscapes, and bird-and-flower compositions—alongside depictions of sumo wrestlers, kabuki actors, or enticing courtesans—rock stars who populated the “floating world” and whose fan bases fueled the frenzied production of woodblock prints. We delve into the horrifying and the obscure in prints where demons, ghosts, man-eaters, and otherworldly creatures torment the living—stunning images that continue to influence Japanese manga, film, and video games to this day. We witness how, in their incredible breadth, from everyday scenes to erotica, the martial to the mythological, these works are united by the technical mastery and infallible eye of their creators and how, with tremendous ingenuity and tongue-in-cheek wit, publishers and artists alike fought to circumvent government censorship.

As part of our 40th anniversary series, this edition compiles the finest extant impressions from museums and private collections across the globe in a lightweight, accessible format, offering extensive descriptions to guide us through this frantic period in Japanese art history.

Read more

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A quarter-millennium’s worth of prints reveal the evolving tastes of Japanese artists over the ages, and the impact of this art form on global culture.” ― The New York Times

“A dreamlike stroll through the most beautiful landscapes of this fantasized Japan.” ― Vogue

“I envy the Japanese for the enormous clarity that pervades their work... they draw a figure with a few well-chosen lines as if it were as effortless as buttoning up one’s waistcoat.” ― Vincent van Gogh

About the Author

Andreas Marks studied East Asian art history at the University of Bonn and obtained his PhD in Japanology from Leiden University with a thesis on 19th-century actor prints. From 2008 to 2013 he was director and chief curator of the Clark Center for Japanese Art in Hanford, California, and since 2013 has been the Mary Griggs Burke Curator of Japanese and Korean Art and director of the Clark Center for Japanese Art at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. In 2024, he was awarded the commendation of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs for his contributions to the promotion of Japanese culture.

Reviews:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful collection, excellent information

R.D. · October 2, 2025

Beautifully put together book. Print reproductions are high-quality, accompanying text is very thoughtful and informative.

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully designed

S.P. · July 13, 2025

Detailed history of Japanese woodblocks up to 1938. Beautifully designed cover and endpapers. Everday life, including a few sexually explicit pieces, are represented.

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful well made artbook, high quality print

J.G. · August 1, 2023

I've been reading it for about 1 week now, it is really beautiful and sturdy, the narrative although a little west-oriented shows a deep knowledge of Japanese art bibliography and resources, providing you with precise names, nice historic facts and also original Japanese concepts and words while also driving the conversation of Japanese woodblock printing around its social importance. The curious thing about this book is that it has a purple long page that allows you to quickly go back and forth between the printing artis s (cronologically at 1/3 of the book) and the historic narrative that starts from the beginning. Overall, I love to be able to have this book in small format as I'm allowed to take it with me to Cafe's and Parks and appreciate the printings, is always well appreciated to have really, really crisps images and art reproductions (as you can see in the macro image), I've not found yet any image pixelated or with bad resolution, is just a really cool book for people that love to read about art history and just appreciate through paper this masterpieces, much better that a screen.ONE THING: the handling made the book appear with a little corner scrape (very tiny but you know) but because the book has hooked me so much I can pass on that. Just to keep in mind because this book is heavy.

5.0 out of 5 stars superb volume

T.W. · May 10, 2025

Fantastic book, superb design and production. In addition to great content!

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice!

G.Z. · February 23, 2025

As advertised...and price was great 👍

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Exploration

R.R. · May 13, 2025

Extremely happy with the quality of pictures. The commentary for individual prints was appreciated. Great exposure to different eras of Japanese print making for someone with some art history background, but limited exposure to Japanese art outside of the major prints likes the views of Mount Fuji, or the Japanese bridge. Would recommend or consider gifting my current copy to a friend, or have it as a decoration given taschen puts some effort into their book covers.

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorite Coffee Table books.

D. · June 26, 2024

Taschen books are almost always the best quality coffee table books you can buy, and this one is no exception. I love woodblock art and this book is a great way to look at amazing art that I wish I could hang in my home, since my wife and I disagree greatly on art.This book has about 500 different artworks inside and will fulfill your needs to see amazing art of Samurai, Oni, Ghosts and other really cool stuff.

5.0 out of 5 stars very good Book

M.G. · May 19, 2025

GORGEOUS

The best book about woodblock prints.

I.D. · September 30, 2025

Beautiful illustrations.

Excellent

A. · February 20, 2024

Tremendous. Roughly a colour print on every other page. Love how it's chronological. Not a criticism at all but the prints are largely of human figures, if you're looking for more of the aesthetic landscape style of someone like kawase hasui then this isn't the book.But yea, very nice and interesting text explanations and info on each colour print. Bit of a steal at £20

Ottimo regalo

D.P. · July 3, 2025

Preso per un regalo che è stato molto apprezzato. Packaging perfetto e spedizione veloce.

Mukemmel.

O.O.G. · July 7, 2025

Kesinlikle tavsiye edilir.

Muy buen libro con explicaciones e imágenes magníficas. M

C.A. · February 22, 2024

Me llegó en el tiempo estimado y en perfecto estado. Tiene una gran encuadernación y es justo lo que buscaba. Está en inglés y lo recomiendo para amantes de este género porque si bien no es la edición completa, que tiene más páginas y en un formato más grande, me parece más que suficiente. Estoy muy satisfecho con la compra.

Similar suggestions by Bolo

More from this brand

Similar items from “Prints”

Share with

Or share with link

https://www.bolo.ae/products/U383658753K