We acknowledge the Gadigal of the Eora Nation, the traditional custodians of the Country on which the Art Gallery of New South Wales stands.

Keizaburo Matsuzaki

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Master printer Keizaburo Matsuzaki visited the Art Gallery of NSW in March 2010 in conjunction with the exhibition Hymn to beauty: the art of Utamaro for an ukiyo-e printmaking demonstration, captured in this video.

He brought the woodblocks to create a print of Takashima Ohisa, the teahouse waitress, designed by Kitagawa Utamaro in the 1790s. Gallery visitors were amazed to witness Matsuzaki’s deft touch as he applied 17 colours with perfect alignment. Each colour was rubbed with a printer’s most precious tool, the baren. The final touch was a dusting of mica.