Japanese prints, Japanese print, Japanese art, Ukiyo-e, Shin-hanga

Frequently Asked Questions



Do you have a secure page for credit card information?
Yes, by clicking the order button, the Secure Socket Layer (SSL page) is shown. The page in question is the secure page for you to submit your credit information.

Do you guarantee the authenticity of the Japanese prints you sell?
Yes, prints we sell are 100% guaranteed by us.

How can I buy a print from your online gallery?
By clicking the order button at the Japanese print you want to buy. Then, follow the instructions.

Do you send prints on approval?
Yes, we do. You can make your decision after you have seen the print in reality. Firm orders have priority though.

Can I return a print when I am not happy with my purchase?
Yes, you can. Within 7 days you may return the print in case you are not satisfied with it. We will refund the purchase price (not shipping). If you intend to return a print, please contact us immediately for specific instructions.

Prints sent on approval become the responsibility of the customer in case of loss, theft or damage. The print must be in the same condition sent. Return shipments should be made by registered mail, registered airmail, FedEx, or UPS.

How long does your gallery exist?
We started selling Japanese prints in 1976.
Registered K.v.K. Tiel, no.11013217.

How can I pay for a Japanese print?
We accept Visa, Eurocard/Mastercard and American Express. You may also pay by PayPal using our e-mail address info@huysdenesch.com

Payment by bank transfer is also possible. In that case, contact us for further details.

Is VAT included in the price?
Yes, all prints are sold under the ‘margin scheme’, consequently no extra is charged.

Do you sell other Japanese art?
No, we exclusively deal in Japanese prints.

Can I frame a Japanese print?
Yes, but it is not to be recommended. If you do wish to exhibit a Japanese print you are advised to use a picture frame with first-quality UV-filtering glass. In spite of the special glass it would be best to choose a space with very faint light, as the UV is only partly filtered. An interchangeable picture frame with glass that filters UV, could further help to reduce fading. With such a frame you can exhibit a print temporarily and alternate it easily with other prints.

Materials chosen for a passe-partout and its back, should be 100% acid-free of course.

How do I store Japanese prints?
You are advised to keep the prints in neutral-pH paper folders, unmounted. Preferably each Japanese print is kept in one folder. Prints that are connected, for instance by an albumbacking, are protected by placing a thin sheet of pH-neutral paper between images that face one another.

The folders are best stored in a special acid-free storage case.

How many impressions were made of one print?
The number of impressions was dependent on the status of a print (privately published or commercially published), on the genre and subject, on the demand and of course also on the wear of the woodblocks.

Generally the first edition of a Japanese print numbered about one hundred and fifty to two hundred impressions. Special editions commissioned by select groups of poets, kabuki-fans, etcetera, might have been limited to a smaller number of impressions.

After printing the first edition of a commercially published Japanese print, additional ones were kept in line with the demand.

With an increasing number of editions the quality of the impressions gradually diminished. Among other things these later impressions show wear of the blocks, poor registration, coarsely printed patterns and sparse use of bokashi, or no bokashi at all. Also, often the number of colour blocks was reduced and refined printing techniques were absent.

Of many prints at least a few hundred excellent impressions have been made, with sharp keyblock lines, correct registration of the blocks, fine gradation, etcetera. A number of these are unfortunately lost for eternity, to a large extent due to maltreatment, earthquakes and fires, while others are left only in fair or poor condition. Of the remaining ones that are still in good or very good condition, one part is found in private collections and museum collections, while an other part is found among dealers, worldwide. Of each print a few impressions might be at unknown places, in small out-of-the-way shops, in attics, in drawers of cabinets, etcetera, waiting to become a 'trouvaille' some day.

What are the fees for shipping and handling?
  • Within the Netherlands (registered): 10 euro
  • Europe (registered airmail): 15 euro
  • USA (registered airmail): 25 euro