10 Spectacular Woodblock Prints of Dragons
Woodblock printing emerged in China in 220 as a method for printing onto textiles and later paper. The method is simple, but highly effective. An image is carved into a wooden block ‘in reverse’: areas that appear white in the print are cut away and those that appear black, or a particular colour, are left at surface level. The wooden block is then stamped, rubbed or pressed onto a piece of textile or paper to create a detailed image.
The dragon is a common motif in much Chinese and Japanese art and dragons feature heavily in some of the most visually arresting woodblock prints, 10 of which are examined in detail below. While dragons are often thought of as malevolent in the West, in the East they symbolise power, goodwill, honour and the Chinese emperor himself.
1. Blue Dragon by Hajime Namiki [1999]
Image: F & R Fine Arts
This print of an affable looking, blue, woodblock dragon might appear to be old, but it’s actually a modern print made using ancient techniques, created by Hajime Namiki in 1999. Four-toed dragons, such as the smiley one featured in this print, are traditionally associated with those from Korea. Chinese dragons are said to have five toes and Japanese dragons three.
2. Ryuo-Maru by Yoshitsuya [1857]
Image: The Art of Japan
This highly detailed, colourful image shows a handsome sumo wrestler, Ryuo-Maru, facing a long, serpentine, red and green dragon. Ryuo-Maru adopts the dominant pose. The piece, by master woodblock printer Yoshitsuya (1822-66), dates back to 1857. It comes from a series of his work entitled ‘Mirror or True and Brave Warriors’.
3. Taira no Tomomori by Utagawa Kuniyoshi [date unknown]
Image: Wikimedia
Taira no Tomomori was one of Japan’s most famous warriors until he committed suicide in 1185, following a particularly heavy defeat in battle. He did so by tying an anchor to his waist and throwing himself into the sea. Here, in this print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798–1861), arguably the greatest woodblock printer of all time, we see Tomomori confronted by a sea dragon.
4. Rogue by Kunihisa [1859]
Image: Fuji Arts
This fantastic woodblock print, produced by Kunihisa in 1859, depicts a villainous character, sword drawn, standing over a man who has been forced to the ground. But where’s the dragon? It’s tattooed on the villain’s back, of course!
5. Dragon Boat by Chikayoshi Toyohara [1890]
Image: Village Antiques
This meticulously detailed print by Chikayoshi Toyohara, produced circa 1890, depicts a scene from Japan’s Meiji period (23 October 1868 to 30 July 1912), a time of rapid modernisation and greater mixing between Europeans and Japanese. Western military personnel, complete with French-style tricorne hats, are depicted alongside Japanese women in traditional dress, on a large dragon boat.
6. Dragon Tattoo, Artist Unknown
Image: Prints of Japan
The dragon in this print, created in 1835, is to be found tattooed on the character’s shoulder. In China, tattoos were applied as a form of punishment and are still heavily associated with criminality today. Due to their negative connotation, tattoos are almost non-existent in modern Chinese society, which is ironic considering the number of westerners with ‘dodgy’ Chinese symbols tattooed on their bodies.
7. Dragon by Block Sheep [2009]
Image: BlockSheep
Woodblock printing doesn’t have to be detailed and colourful to be impressive. It’s a technique that everyone can try at home. Block Sheep, a small, ethical company that produces woodblock prints on chlorine-free and 100% post-consumer recycled paper, created this simple print.
8. Dragon Woodblock by Mokuhankan [2009]
Image: Mokuhankan
Here you can see an actual woodblock used in the woodblock printing process. The carved block is often just as valid a work of art as the printed material itself. Here, the image of a dragon has been carved in a relief matrix: areas that appear white in the print are cut away and areas that appear black remain. The image must be carved in reverse so that it appears the right way round once printed, which makes the carving process all the more confusing.
9. Dragon Ascending Mount Fuji by Fuji Hokusai [1835
Image: Wikimedia
Hokusai Katsushika printed this wonderfully simple, monochrome woodblock in 1835. It shows a dragon climbing up towards the peak of Mount Fuji. This was by no means the only print of the famous mountain that Hokusai (1760-1849) created. He produced over 148 published prints of Mount Fuji in his lifetime.
10. Sea Battle by Sebastian Munster [1570]
Image: Maps-charts.com
The Chinese and Japanese weren’t the only ones to produce woodblock prints; Europeans did too (although European ones are usually referred to as ‘woodcut’ rather than ‘woodblock’.) This particular example was printed circa 1570, by Sebastian Munster of Basel, Switzerland. It shows a battle at sea, complete with a dragon in the bottom right-hand corner. Munster’s work clearly exhibits an Asian influence: the Chinese believed dragons to be water deities, in control of the world’s oceans.
About the author:
Tom is a huge tech and gadget geek with a broad range of interests including travel, art and design. Much of his time is spent blogging on CreativeCloud but he also enjoys writing for other blogs in the design niche.
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