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Edutainment > Articles on Art > Contemporary Art Japan > Waichi Hayashi - born 1951

Katorea to satsumakiriko, 1999
copyright Waichi Hayashi

Everybody speaks about globalization - the whole world one market place and the whole world a mix of Western commercial culture and local traditions. Strangely enough the field of contemporary Japanese printmaking is anything else than global. Japan has an immense affluence of great contemporary printmakers. But with a few exceptions most of them are little or not at all known outside Japan. We discovered Waichi Hayashi by recommendation of one of his students. His woodblock prints are mesmerizing.

Since we decided at the end of 2005 to intensify our presentation of contemporary Japanese artists in our artelino auctions, we are feeling like on a discovery tour on some kind of a paradise island that has never been entered by a "gaijin" (Japanese word for foreigner) before. We find great new artists nearly every week - artists of all ages who create works of stunning attraction that keep us on a permanent level of excitement. And different from the long-nosed Westerners trying to enter the forbidden country during the Edo period in the 17th and 18th century, we are welcomed with open arms. One artist recommends us to the next.

Dieter and Yorie in June 2006

Woodblock Prints and Ceramics

Sanroku, 2001
copyright Waichi Hayashi

Waichi Hayashi was born in 1951 in Shizuoka prefecture. In 1974 he had graduated from the Department of Japanese Art at Kanazawa Art and Crafts College. The artist is active in more than one field of traditional Japanese arts. He works in woodblock prints, pottery and ceramics and in suiboku-ga. These are black and white sumi-ink paintings.

Waichi Hayashi is a member of several Japanese artists' associations. Shunyo-kai, Nihon Bijutsuka Renmei-kai (Nihon Artists League) and Hamamatsu Bijutsu Kyokai (Hamamatsu Art Association).

The artist's edition sizes are usually around 80. The prints are titled, dated, numbered and signed by the artist as usual for limited editions. His colors are often strong and the subjects are taken from nature.

The secret of the charm of Waichi Hayashi's woodblock prints has in our view several sources. It is his mastership of composition and color combinations. And in many of his images the artist uses a very special, tricky feature to fascinate the viewers' eye. It is the play with light in a very specific way. The effects of light were first discovered by the French impressionists. The Japanese shin hanga artists like Hasui Kawase masterly integrated the light-shadow effects into their woodblock prints. The use of light by Waichi Hayashi is different. He "plays" with spotlight effects as they sometimes can be seen at the end of strong showers/thunderstorms in mountain areas.

Exhibitions and Awards

Kishibe no mori, 2006
copyright Waichi Hayashi

• 1975 - New Talent Award by Nihon Hanga Kyokai (Japan Print Association) and New Talent Award by Shunyo-kai Art Association.
• 1976 - Selected Contemporary Art Exhibition by the Japanese Ministry of Culture.
• 1977 - Award from the Art Festival of Shizuoka Prefecture.
• 1978 - "NF Print & Craft" - an exhibition held in the Embassy of Great Britain.
• 1979 - Print Biennial in Baldford/England.
• 1982 and 1983 - Woodblock Prints for a series of folk tales sponsored by Yomiuri News Paper (The Daily Yomiuri).
• 1983 - Solo exhibition of woodblock prints depicting the four seasons and ceramics.

Our information is ending here. But we know that Waichi Hayashi continues to be very active in exhibiting his works.

Art Publications

Kosumosu (V), 1999
copyright Waichi Hayashi

Waichi Hayashi feels obliged to teach his art to others. He has published his experience and his view on arts in several books.

"The Joy of Woodblock Prints" published by Kodansha in 1984. It is a book about with instructions about woodblock printmaking.
"Woodblock Prints from The Beginning" published by Tsuchiya Shoten in 1988.
"Introduction to Paintings on Pottery and Ceramics" published by Nichibo Shuppansha in 1997.
"The Design of Paintings on Pottery and Ceramics" published by Nichibo Shuppansha in 1999.
"The Art of Pottery and Ceramics" published by Nichibo Shuppansha in 2002.
"The Techniques of the Woodblock Prints" published by Nichibo Shuppansha in 2006.

Waichi Hayashi on the Internet

Tsukino, 2001
copyright Waichi Hayashi

Art Gallery of Waichi Hayashi - home page of the artist in Japanese.

Search for Waichi Hayashi

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Contemporary Art Japan