These days, most people here in Japan associate senshafuda with the simple name labels sometimes pasted on shrine walls or gates, but few know that in the early part of the 20th century, there was a thriving culture of creating and exchanging beautiful and colourful woodblock prints in this format. Seasonal motifs, traditional imagery, and topics of the day were all commonly featured on the highly collectible little prints, and we at Mokuhankan are going to have a go at bringing the genre back to life, nearly one hundred years later!

The three prints you see in this folder have been created by a 'team' of six people. This form of collaborative printmaking - which was the norm back in 'the old days' - is thought by some to be on its last legs, but I am not ready to accept that. And what better way to help bring the genre back to life again than to use some 'fresh legs'! I sought out a young artist, one with no experience at designing for prints, and gave her a mandate to come up with images that would not only showcase the beauty inherent in the traditional printmaking methods, but would also be interesting to a contemporary audience. I then hired two young - and extremely enthusiastic - craftsmen to turn the designs into actual prints.

The results are in front of you now. I may be biased, but I think we have succeeded in our mission to begin to revitalize the old genre. Pre-orders for these prints have been very strong, so even as I write this little note, we have already begun work on the production of the next set, which will be ready in early summer.

See you then, I hope!