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In our current gallery presentation, 1923 Before & After: Japanese Prints and the Great Kanto Earthquake, we explore of the revitalization of woodblock printmaking in the early 20th century and how it evolved and changed after the devastation of the September 1, 1923 earthquake.

The theme was inspired, in part, by an unexpected influx of modern Japanese prints known as shin-hanga (new prints) acquired from private collections, along with the discovery of a small photograph album documenting the destruction of Tokyo as a result of the quake itself and the firestorms that swept mercilessly …