# Jun-ichirô Sekino artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/jun-ichiro-sekino/
Profile generated: 2026-05-12T17:14:00.000Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Nationality: Japanese
- Movements: Sosaku hanga
- Common media: Woodblock prints

## About Jun-ichirô Sekino

Jun'ichirō Sekino (1914–1988) was a Japanese printmaker recognized as one of the leading figures of the sosaku hanga, or creative print, movement that reshaped Japanese graphic art in the decades following World War II. Unlike the collaborative ukiyo-e workshop tradition, sosaku hanga artists designed, carved, and printed their own blocks, and Sekino embraced this independent approach throughout his career. Working primarily in color woodblock, he became known for bold compositions that combined traditional Japanese technique with a modern graphic sensibility. His subjects ranged from vivid portraits to sweeping landscapes and still-life arrangements. Sekino's work is held in major international museum collections, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and he received significant recognition in both Japan and the United States during his lifetime. His prints remain widely collected and frequently appear at auction.

## Common works and media

Sekino worked almost exclusively in the color woodblock medium. Collectors most frequently encounter single-sheet prints in standard oban and smaller formats. Common subjects include expressive portrait heads, rural and urban Japanese landscapes, animal studies, and still-life compositions. Many works were issued as limited editions with pencil-signed margins and edition numbering. Series and portfolio sets also appear on the market. Original first-edition impressions on Japanese washi paper with full margins represent the most desirable form; collectors should distinguish these from later impressions or reproductions.

## Market and appraisal context

Sekino's woodblock prints are well represented in the secondary market, with over 450 lots catalogued in appraisal databases. Value depends heavily on edition size, condition, and the specific series or period of the work. Early postwar impressions and portraits tend to attract stronger demand than later re-strikes. Collectors should verify authenticity through the artist's carved signature and seal, consistent paper and block characteristics, and any documented provenance. Comparison with published catalogue references is recommended. As with all sosaku hanga prints, impressions from the original edition command higher values than later or posthumous printings.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine verified artist identity research from museum, library-authority, and scholarly sources with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. For Jun'ichirō Sekino, identity data has been confirmed through the Getty Union List of Artist Names, VIAF, the Library of Congress authority file, Wikidata, and the Museum of Modern Art collection record.

## Sources

- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q23000739
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sekino_Jun'ichir%C5%8D
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500466921
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/21025786/
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n82070600
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/5331