All the characters featured in this print have taken me on magical journeys into new worlds. Sometimes I get a little sad when real life feels so mundane by comparison. But if I approach life with curiosity, there is beauty and magic to be found everywhere. The brilliant blue sky of summer. The delicate green of spring leaves. The golden sunsets of winter. These things might feel commonplace, but they are beautiful gifts if we take the time to appreciate them!

This print is also inspired by the historic backstreets of Kyoto. If you ever get a chance to visit, I highly recommend it! The entire city is a beautiful wonderland to explore. Ancient temples, historic houses and cobblestone streets. It just feels so... Japanese!

This piece was done in a modern shin-hanga style, which was dominant in the early 1900s at the peak of Japanese woodblock technique. Shin-hanga prints are known for their atmospheric realism, and require many dozens of impressions with hand-carved wood blocks. It was a ton of work to make those prints, but the low yen compared to higher valued European currencies in the early 1900s made it economically viable. 

This is a handmade woodblock print. Wow! I can't believe how good this looks. We really are making great progress with our apprentice printmakers.

We teamed up again with apprentice printmaker Calvin Carlisle to produce this handmade print. Calvin is still at an early stage in his training, so his work isn't at the level of Dave and his Tokyo team.

We are also setting a very low price for such a complex print. This is a great opportunity to own a piece of our history, as we slowly train up the next generation of printmakers. We thank you for investing in the future of this craft! In the process of making this print, Calvin learned a ton! 

This design requires many individual impressions to achieve a full range of color. Calvin uses the finest quality of yamazakura (mountain cherry) to carve his printing blocks. The wood is capable of holding a very fine level of delicacy – every last detail is printed by the wood left standing, after the rest has been cut away.

The paper is handmade Echizen Hosho Washi, made by national living treasure, Iwano Ichibei IX. This is the exact same paper printers used over 200 years ago! You can see a video of Mr. Iwano at work here.

This print is in the traditional koban format – 6.5 x 9 inches (17 x 24 cm).