IWAMI REIKA

Iwami Reika, born in Tokyo in 1927, is a pioneering figure in modern Japanese printmaking. She studied at Bunka Gakuin College and trained under three renowned masters: Onchi Koshiro, Sekino Junichiro, and Shinagawa Takumi. Before turning to art, she worked as a teacher and later in a language institute. In 1954, after 11 years of dollmaking, she shifted to printmaking to pursue a more fulfilling artistic path. Eventually, she became the first woman to gain national and international recognition in the male-dominated world of Japanese woodblock artists.

Iwami Reika’s Japanese woodblock prints are defined by their minimalism, spiritual depth, and textural refinement. She often works in black and white, using sumi ink, washi paper, and embossing to create powerful, abstract images. Gold and silver foil occasionally enhance her monochrome works. She avoids decorative color, focusing instead on the natural grain of the wood to represent water and movement. Her bold yet simple compositions evoke calm, clarity, and a deep connection to nature and tradition.

Iwami Reika’s woodblock art is held in prestigious museum collections worldwide. These include the British Museum, MoMA New York, the Library of Congress, and the Yokohama Museum of Art. She is also a published haiku poet, and her prints reflect the ambiguity and nuance of that literary form. Her work stands apart from early sōsaku hanga movements, offering viewers something more meditative and visually balanced. Today, collectors and institutions continue to seek out her elegant and timeless pieces, available through Hanga Ten Gallery.