Mark the close of the year with a creative introduction to Japanese woodblock printing (moku-hanga). In this workshop, participants will design and print their own New Year's greeting card using the traditional technique of moku-hanga.

Following a fantastic series of workshops since 2023, The Japan Society is delighted to welcome back London-based artist Hiroko Imada for another weekend of woodblock printing at the end of November this year. These popular sessions have consistently sold out, so early booking is highly recommended.

This half-day course offers an accessible introduction to moku-hanga, a traditional Japanese relief printing technique, while also giving those with some previous experience the chance to practise and hone their woodblock printing skills. Printed by hand with a baren and water-based inks, moku-hanga produces delicate, expressive results and is an ideal way to create a distinctive seasonal design.

Participants will learn how to:

• Create an original design
• Carve their own woodblock
• Print in black and white on Japanese paper

Participants will be asked to think about their design in advance, so please come with a simple idea or sketch to help you get started. For inspiration, you may wish to draw on seasonal motifs or the zodiac: 2026 is the Year of the Horse, offering a lively and symbolic theme for a New Year's print.

No prior experience is needed. Beginners are warmly welcome, and those with some experience can build confidence and refine their technique.

Hiroko Imada is a London-based painter, printmaker and site-specific installation artist. She studied art at the Tokyo Zokei University and The Slade School of Fine Art and has exhibited throughout Europe and Japan.

Imada has been commissioned numerous times to create print works for filming projects by prestigious organisations. Most recently, the British Museum commissioned her to produce a colour woodblock print inspired by Hiroshige’s Ferry on the Fuji River, Suruga Province (c.1832), focusing on the Bokashi (gradation) technique. The printing process was filmed and displayed alongside Hiroshige’s original print in the exhibition Hiroshige: Artist of the Open Road at the British Museum from 1 May to 7 September 2025. Her site-specific installation Sakura saku (“Cherry blossoms are blooming”), originally presented at Watts Gallery in 2024 and incorporating woodblock printing techniques, is currently on display at the Museum of East Asian Art in Bath as the centrepiece of the In Bloom exhibition until 20 December 2025. In spring 2025, she also created a Cherry Blossoms faux stained glass installation for Sakura season at The Ned, sponsored by The Ned London and The House of Suntory. This marked the first time in 100 years that the historic building’s windows were altered.

Hiroko also specialises in teaching Japanese woodblock printing, papermaking, folded screenmaking, and hanging scroll making. Since 2000 she has been teaching the Japanese woodblock printing regularly at the British Museum and from 2017 the King’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts. Hiroko is a member of the Japan Artists Association & the International Association of Art.