[HN Gopher] Japanese Woodblock Print Search
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Japanese Woodblock Print Search
Author : curmudgeon22
Score : 155 points
Date : 2026-02-22 03:18 UTC (12 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (ukiyo-e.org)
(TXT) w3m dump (ukiyo-e.org)
| abetusk wrote:
| This is pretty amazing.
|
| Surprisingly [0]:
|
| > Ukiyo-e.org was created by John Resig ...
|
| [0] https://ukiyo-e.org/about
| jonah wrote:
| https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47107964
| zactato wrote:
| Pretty sure this was made by John Resig, the creator of jQuery.
|
| I used to be friends with him back in the day and he described
| wanting to do something like this. He was/is a passionate dude.
| jeresig wrote:
| Thank you for sharing my site! I built this a number of years ago
| as I was starting to learn about Japanese prints. I wanted a
| single place where I could find them across all of the various
| museums and universities that hold them. I use computer vision
| analysis to cluster prints together (using TinEye). A bunch more
| technical details from the last time this was posted:
| https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18344979
|
| I'm working on a new site now that's focused on prints that are
| for sale from dealers and auctions. Much more technically complex
| as it needs to be continuously updated. Hope to have a public
| beta soon!
| masswerk wrote:
| Thank you for your work, it's an invaluable resource!
| iddan wrote:
| That is so cool!!! Thank you for putting in the effort
| chickensong wrote:
| Thank you for creating such a wonderful site! Woodblock
| printing is one of my favorite art forms.
|
| My grandparents visited Japan long ago and gifted me two wooden
| boxes, one with this print on the lid:
| https://ukiyo-e.org/image/aic/99027_512658 and the other with
| https://ukiyo-e.org/image/honolulu/8277. They're secret boxes
| with no hinges or hardware, but if you press on certain
| locations in the correct order, sections will slide and the lid
| unlocks and can be opened.
|
| Is there a way to stay informed of when your new print site
| launches?
| jeresig wrote:
| Oh that's very cool! I have a mailing list signup on the
| ukiyo-e.org home page, I'll send out a message there once
| it's ready for testing! I've posted some screenshots on
| Reddit that show some of the price comparison features: https
| ://www.reddit.com/r/ukiyoe/comments/1p6c4lb/comment/nqp... ht
| tps://www.reddit.com/r/ukiyoe/comments/1pjw8br/comment/nti...
| PacificSpecific wrote:
| Wow 2 ukiyo-e threads in 24 hours. This is really cool.
|
| I posted that there was a museum in kurashiki in the other thread
| but neglected to post a link. For anyone interested here it is
| https://ukiyo-e-kurashiki.jp/?lang=en
| dang wrote:
| I was going to ask what the other thread was but you made it
| easy!
|
| _The Rediscovery of 103 Hokusai Lost Sketches (2021)_ -
| https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47030387 - Feb 2026 (8
| comments)
| PacificSpecific wrote:
| Ah I should have posted the link. Glad you were able to find
| it and thanks for digging it up!
| dang wrote:
| One past thread:
|
| _Japanese Woodblock Print Search_ -
| https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18344979 - Oct 2018 (29
| comments)
|
| (Reposts are fine after a year or so; links to past threads are
| just to satisfy extra-curious readers)
| andeee23 wrote:
| kawase hasui is hands down the best to ever do it
|
| he does trees and foliage in s very special way
| keiferski wrote:
| Agreed, he is my favorite as well. There is something so
| cinematic about every one of his images.
| chickensong wrote:
| No argument there.
|
| For fans of California and the Bay Area, Tom Killion is a local
| hero as well.
| gyomu wrote:
| Check out Chiura Obata. His Yosemite prints are stunning.
| kehvyn wrote:
| A fellow Shin Hanga-era fan! There are dozens of us!
|
| Hasui is excellent, but Shiro Kasamatsu is my undisputed
| favorite. Something about the way he does buildings, and the
| dramatic colors, is exactly aimed at me.
| Duanemclemore wrote:
| Bookmarked for constant reference. As a designer, Japanese
| printmaking is a constant source of inspiration, and the effort
| that went into putting this together is pretty astounding. Thank
| you to the author for the hard work, and to the OP for surfacing
| it!
| miduil wrote:
| Wow, that's wonderful. There is a store that sells original
| Woodblock prints in Vienna, close to the Opera. Every time I'm
| passing by I take a few moments to look and reflect on those
| prints, it's great recognizing some on this website now.
| kehvyn wrote:
| I know exactly which store you're talking about, and I couldn't
| resist going in the one time I was in Vienna. It's a great
| store.
| S0und wrote:
| If you're interested in the topic someone is streaming the whole
| process: https://www.twitch.tv/japaneseprintmaking
| zimpenfish wrote:
| Would highly recommend Dave Bull's YouTube channel as well -
| https://youtube.com/@seseragistudio
| nvalis wrote:
| I took a class at his workshop in Tokyo and highly recommend
| the experience. So much thought and detail goes into preparing
| the wood blocks and even into "just" printing them.
| thrownaway561 wrote:
| For those that don't know, this site was made by John Resig, yes,
| the same dude that invented jQuery.
| Fricken wrote:
| The experience of trying to use that website was garage, what a
| shitty way to present art.
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