Adachi's Authentic Ukiyo-e Since 1928

Ukiyo-e Reproductions by the Adachi Institute are created based on select works from world-famous Ukiyo-e collections.
First, the carver carves the woodblocks, faithfully replicating  the original.
Mountain cherry tree is used for the woodblocks, and the carver carefully chisels a woodblock for each color used in the print.
It is intricate and time-consuming work that requires delicate sensibilities.

When the carving is completed, the printer takes the woodblocks made separately for each color and prints them one color at the time, in the same way as the original.
The printer uses washi, or handmade Japanese paper, and water-based pigment inks, which are also exactly the same as the original.
The printer prepares the colors, anticipating how they will appear when they are printed.
A master printer has the highly sophisticated skills, patience and sense of color required to make several hundred almost perfectly uniform prints in one printing run.

At the Adachi Institute of Woodcut Prints, not only do we faithfully carry on traditional techniques to produce highly accurate reproductions of Ukiyo-e prints but we also train talented young artisans in a continuous effort to preserve traditional woodcut printing techniques.