Asano Takeji was a Japanese woodblock print artist who was born in 1913 and passed away in 1998. After graduating from Tokyo School of Fine Arts (now Tokyo University of the Arts), he exhibited at the Shin Seisaku Bijutsu Kyokai and the Nika-kai exhibitions, and won the New Artist Award at the 14th Nika-kai Exhibition in 1936.
After the war, Asano focused on creating woodblock prints and in 1952, he established his own printmaking studio called "Asano Takeji Mokuhanga Kobo". He was knowledgeable in woodblock printing techniques and particularly skilled in multiple color printing. His works are characterized by a unique sense of color and expression, and he produced portraits, landscapes, and still life paintings.
Asano's works were highly regarded not only in Japan but also overseas, and he exhibited at shows such as the "Contemporary Japanese Prints Exhibition" and the "Tokyo Exhibition" in the United States in the 1950s, receiving high praise. His works are also held in many domestic and foreign museums.
Asano was not only a printmaker but also a critic, and he was actively involved in promoting printmaking and mentoring many successors. He is considered an important figure in the Japanese printmaking world, along with Ito Hisao and Yoshida Toshi.
