* The original is a woodcut print, so brush strokes can be rough.

Yoshida Toshi (July 25, 1911 - July 1, 1995) was a famous Japanese woodblock painter, known for his exquisite traditional techniques and distinctive artistic style. Born in Tokyo, the son of internationally renowned woodblock printmaker Hiroshi Yoshida, he grew up in an artistic atmosphere as a child and showed great talent for painting in his early years. Under his father's guidance, he mastered woodblock printmaking.

Yoshida Shun's works are known for their detailed depictions, vivid and bold use of color, and their subjects are mostly natural landscapes and scenes of daily life, which are both realistic and artistic. His prints are extremely popular internationally. His works are collected in world-renowned institutions such as the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. He is highly sought after by collectors and is known as a classic of modern Japanese woodblock prints.

In addition to his printmaking, he also works as a painter and illustrator, participating in several book projects and creating children's literature with illustrations. Yoshida Toshi is also committed to inheriting the traditional Japanese printmaking art, establishing a printmaking school in Tokyo to cultivate a new generation of artists. Throughout his life, he focused on promoting Japanese art and culture, and received many honors such as the Shigemitsu Seal of the Rising Sun for his contributions. Yoshida Toshi's work has a vivid style that blends tradition and modernity, and it still has a profound impact on the global woodblock printing world.

Get to know Japanese woodblock prints:

Production process and division of labor

1️) Painter (Painter, Eschi/Artist)

Responsible for drawing the original (below).

Provide overall composition, characters, and landscape design.

Examples: Katsushika Hokusai, Utagawa Hiroshige, Kawase Bashui.

️Hanmoto (Hanmoto/Publisher)

The core of the entire team, similar to "Producer + Publisher".

Fund and plan your work and decide on a theme to collaborate with the artist.

Hire sculptors and tinkerers to coordinate progress and quality.

Responsible for sales, promotion, and determining the circulation of works.

Example: Shozaburo Watanabe in the New Printmaking Movement.

3️) Sculptor (sculptor, Hōshi/Block Carver)

Transcribe the artist's manuscript onto a woodcut.

Each color requires a dedicated board.

The technical requirements are extremely high, be accurate to the millimeter, otherwise the color overprint will be misaligned.

️4) Tsukushi (Tsukushi, Surishi/Printer)

Using wood and paint, layers of images are printed on and paper.

Responsible for the intensity of the color, blur (blur), light and shadow effects.

The level of technology directly affects the final presentation of the work.

giclée printing / Giclée etching art paper

Toshi Yoshida (July 25, 1911–July 1, 1995) was a renowned Japanese woodblock print artist, celebrated worldwide for his masterful traditional techniques and distinctive artistic style. Born in Tokyo, he was the son of the internationally acclaimed woodblock print master Hiroshi Yoshida. Raised in an artistic environment, he showed exceptional talent for painting from an early age and refined his woodblock printing skills under his father’s guidance.

Toshi Yoshida’s work is known for its meticulous detail and vivid, bold colors. His subjects are primarily natural landscapes and scenes of everyday life, combining realism with artistry. His prints are extremely popular internationally and are held by world-renowned institutions including the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Highly sought after by collectors, they are regarded as classics of modern Japanese woodblock printing.

In addition to making prints, he worked as a painter and illustrator, participated in several book projects, and created children’s literature combining writing and illustration. Toshi Yoshida was also dedicated to passing on Japan’s traditional printmaking arts. He founded a printmaking school in Tokyo to train a new generation of artists. Throughout his life, he focused on promoting Japanese art and culture and received numerous honors for his contributions, including the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star. Toshi Yoshida’s distinctive work blends tradition and modernity, and continues to have a profound influence on woodblock printmaking worldwide.