About Tanuki Prints
“We take great pride in what we do creating beautiful and meaningful woodblock prints by hand– the way the old Japanese masters did”
Tanuki Prints use the same centuries’ old traditional printmaking techniques of the famous Japanese ukiyo-e period such as Hiroshige’s “Sudden Shower Over Ohashi Bridge”, 1857 (right).
Japanese-style woodblock or mokuhanga printmaking is a labor-intensive high-touch process that involves using multiple woodblocks and hand-printed with water-based inks on hand-made mulberry paper.
Learning these refined skills take decades of practice in order to get it right. Tanuki Prints strives to combine the most engaging imagery with best materials available in order to create museum-quality art that will truly last for generations.
Please scroll down for a ‘nutshell’ version of the woodblock printing process.
So, what the heck is a ‘Tanuki’?
right: Our beloved Tanuki statue
Tanukis are often called Japanese “raccoons” or “badgers” even though they are most closely related to dogs and foxes.
The mythological tanuki has many special powers and is considered a potent good luck symbol. In folklore, tanukis were shape-shifters whose disproportionately large scrotum had magical powers. You often see statues of tanuki-san positioned in front of bars. He holds an alluring sake gourd while beckoning passersby to come join him for a friendly drink- it is considered bad luck if you do not accept his generosity!
Still curious about Tanuki-san? Everything you ever (or never) wanted to know about tanuki is here.
The Tanuki Team
In addition to you, the customer, proprietor John Amoss has been teaching printmaking and making woodblocks for over 25 years and has worked as a guest print maker in Tokyo. John’s prints have been exhibited in North America, Europe, Asia, Oceania, and Africa. He has won several awards; and are included in permanent collections around the world.
John is married and has two sons. He is also a member of the band, The Hobohemians, enjoys long-distance backpacking, and is an Appalachian Trail thru-hiker, 1980.
Gallery representation: The New Leaf Gallery, Keene, NH and Artelino GmbH, Icking, Germany
Tanuki Prints Lair and workshop (it’s actually a lot messier than this).