Worcester Art Museum to Showcase Highlights from Its Collection of Japanese Prints with Reflections of a Changing Japan: The Evolution of Shin Hanga 

Worcester, MA — December 12, 2024 —The Worcester Art Museum (WAM) announces Reflections of a Changing Japan: The Evolution of Shin Hanga, an exhibition of Japanese prints from the Museum’s collection, further supported by three loans from a private collection. On view from March 29 through July 29, 2025, the exhibition will examine Shin Hanga—a printmaking movement that emerged in Japan in the early 1900s—and the cultural context in which it flourished. It will be comprised of artworks created in the first half of the 20th century through 1959, including works by Yoshida Hiroshi and Yoshida Toshi, who gave a lecture at the Worcester Art Museum in 1954. 

Shin Hanga, or “new-prints,” emerged as a revival of the styles and techniques of the traditional ukiyo-e printmaking from the Edo period. As Japan industrialized and “westernized” during the early 20th century, Shin Hanga artists began to revive this earlier style while embracing new artistic techniques and subject matter. This often resulted in a heightened focus on atmospheric light compared to earlier printmaking movements in Japan. 

“Although Shin Hanga immediately evokes Edo period design traditions, the subject matter often catered to the collecting interests of foreigners, particularly Americans and Europeans, evolving into an art form that was both distinctly Japanese and internationally resonant,” said Fiona Collins, Researcher of Asian Art and the exhibitions curator. “This exhibition is an opportunity for visitors to understand these artworks and learn about the ways that Japanese prints reflected major cultural shifts in the early 20th century, a time of significant cultural and artistic change in Japan and around the 
world.” 

The exhibition will feature four sections that explore the rise and fall of this iconic movement in Japanese printmaking. The first section, Early Prints (Watanabe and Early Genres of Shin Hanga), focuses on traditional ukiyo-e subjects like landscapes, women, and kabuki actors. Produced by artists like Yoshida Hiroshi, Kawase Hasui and Ito Shinsui, these works blended classic themes with new technical precision. The second section, Contemporary Inspiration, explores how artists incorporated Western techniques—such as perspective, shading, and naturalism. The third section, New Horizons, is comprised of works designed by Shin Hanga artists during their travels abroad and demonstrates the way global imports and ideas inspired these new prints. Artists Hiroshi Yoshida and others traveled internationally, producing prints of foreign landscapes like the Rockies and Grand Canyon, blending Japanese woodblock craftsmanship with global scenery. The final section, Shin Hanga: Decline and Reinterpretations, examines the waning interest in the genre after World War II and how artists like Toshi Yoshida adapted the style by incorporating contemporary themes and abstract elements. 

Reflections of a Changing Japan: The Evolution of Shin Hanga is generously supported by the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation. Additional support is provided by the Fletcher Foundation and the Japan Foundation. 

The exhibition is curated by Fiona Collins, Researcher of Asian Art. The related catalogue, Japanese Woodblock Prints 1680-1980: Worcester Art Museum, is supported by the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation and the Japan Foundation.