Paper Tiger Japanese Art

10/10/2026

Kawase Hasui is one of our favourite artists Paper Tiger Japanese Art

He is a master of landscapes and was designated as a National Treasure by Japan.

In recent years Hasui prices have skyrocketed and for good reason.

To buy or sell prints Paper Tiger Japanese Art

10/07/2026

10/06/2026

Vancouver, Canada is home base for Paper Tiger Japanese Art.

Our director, Nova, chose British Columbia for the mountains, although, as a Sydney native, Australia is never too far away and trips back are frequent. 🇦🇺

With family in Philadelphia and across the US, there’s plenty of time spent stateside too; from New York and beyond. And then, of course, there’s Japan. A twice-yearly pilgrimage to meet dealers, explore auctions and seek out beautiful works to bring home for our collectors.

One of the great privileges of being an art dealer? The work can take you almost anywhere.

Vancouver → Sydney → New York → Tokyo… wherever we are, we’re always looking for the next remarkable piece

Paper Tiger Japanese Art

09/30/2026

So, what is Paper Tiger?⁠
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Paper Tiger Japanese Art was created with one goal: to help more people discover the beauty and history of Japanese woodblock prints.⁠
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I specialise in carefully sourcing original ukiyo-e and Shin-hanga prints, with a particular focus on artists such as Kawase Hasui, Hiroshi Yoshida, Itō Shinsui, Takahashi Shōtei, Tsuchiya Koitsu, and many others.⁠
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Every print is personally selected for its quality, condition, authenticity, and historical significance. Whether it’s a collector’s first purchase or a rare lifetime impression, my aim is always the same; to place exceptional works into collections where they’ll be appreciated for generations.⁠
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Although I’m based between Vancouver & Sydney, my work regularly takes me to both the US & Japan, where I source prints through dealers, galleries, and auction houses. That international network allows me to connect collectors with works they may never otherwise encounter.⁠
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Paper Tiger is more than an art business. It’s a place to learn, discover, and develop a deeper appreciation for one of Japan’s greatest artistic traditions.⁠
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Welcome, I’m so glad you’re here.⁠
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Paper Tiger Japanese Art⁠
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ArtCollector PrintCollector ArtHistory

09/28/2026

For centuries, the tiger has been one of the most powerful and enduring subjects in Japanese art. Yet, tigers were never native to Japan. Japanese artists knew them through Chinese paintings, imported artworks, and descriptions from travelers, creating creatures that were often as mythical as they were real.⁠
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In Zen Buddhism and Japanese folklore, the tiger symbolizes strength, courage, protection, and the ability to ward off evil. During the Edo and Meiji periods, artists such as Maruyama Ōkyo, Mori Sosen, Kishi Ganku, and later Takeuchi Seihō each reimagined the tiger in their own distinctive style; from fierce and commanding to surprisingly playful and lifelike.⁠
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At Paper Tiger Japanese Art, we’ve always had a special affection for tiger paintings and prints. Beyond their striking beauty, they carry a timeless sense of power and character, making them some of the most captivating works to collect. Every tiger has its own personality, and no two artists ever seem to tell quite the same story.⁠
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Paper Tiger Japanese Art

09/21/2026

The women in these prints weren’t simply portraits; they represented an ideal of beauty, elegance, and culture.⁠
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Known as Bijin-ga, or “pictures of beautiful women,” these prints became one of the defining genres of Japanese woodblock art during the Edo period.⁠
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But beauty wasn’t just about appearance.⁠
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Masters such as Kitagawa Utamaro elevated Bijin-ga into an art form, capturing not only physical beauty but personality and emotion. More than a century later, Shin-hanga artists including Itō Shinsui and Hashiguchi Goyō reimagined the genre with softer colours, subtle light, and remarkable realism.⁠
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Today, Bijin-ga offers more than beautiful images, it provides a window into Japanese fashion, culture, and daily life across generations.⁠
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Nearly 300 years later, these works continue to captivate collectors around the world.⁠
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Which do you find more compelling: the graceful Edo-period elegance of Utamaro, or the refined realism of the Shin-hanga masters like Shinsui and Goyō?⁠
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Paper Tiger Japanese Art

09/11/2026

One of the most influential Japanese print artists you may have never heard of, is Takahashi Shōtei. This is Fuji Near Kamiide (Mount Fuji from Kami-Ide), designed by Shotei between 1929 to 1932.⁠
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Born in 1871, Shōtei (also known as Takahashi Hiroaki) began his career at a time when traditional Japanese woodblock printing was in decline. As photography and Western art gained popularity, many feared the centuries-old craft might disappear altogether.⁠
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Then, in the early 1900s, publisher Shōzaburō Watanabe recognised Shōtei’s talent and invited him to create designs for what would become the beginnings of the Shin-hanga (new prints) movement.⁠
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While artists like Kawase Hasui and Itō Shinsui would later become the movement’s international stars, Shōtei was there from the beginning. His landscapes, temples, villages, and seasonal scenes helped prove there was still a global audience for Japanese woodblock prints.⁠
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One of the remarkable aspects of his career is that he adapted after the 1923 Great Kantō Earthquake, which destroyed Watanabe’s workshop and many of Shōtei’s original woodblocks. Rather than ending his career, he continued designing new works throughout the 1920s and 1930s, many of which are among his most sought-after today.⁠
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Purchase this beauty from Paper Tiger Japanese Art

09/07/2026

People often ask me how I got into Japanese art. The truth is, I never really “got into it”... I grew up in it.⁠
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My parents, Vicki & Ray Tregaskis, founded Oriental Antiques in Sydney in 1980, and my childhood was spent wandering antique fairs, auctions, and galleries all over the world, from Bangkok, to China, Hong Kong, London and New York. From an early age I was learning the difference between Chinese porcelain, Japanese screens, and Tibetan Buddhas.⁠
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As I got older, that early exposure became a genuine passion. My parents taught me that every object has a story, and that great art isn’t just something to admire, it’s something to understand, preserve, and pass on to the next generation.⁠
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Today, through Paper Tiger Japanese Art, I feel fortunate to continue that legacy in my own way, specialising in Japanese woodblock prints. Every buying trip to Japan, every new acquisition, and every piece I place with a collector feels connected to those early days following Mum and Dad around antique fairs.⁠
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I’m grateful for the knowledge they shared, the curiosity they inspired, and the business they built over 45 years ago. Without Vicki and Ray, there would be no Paper Tiger Japanese Art.⁠
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Paper Tiger Japanese Art⁠
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This is me with my mum, Vicki. She is an expert in Asian art & personally collects Japanese netsuke, inro, & satsuma.

09/02/2026

What does an art buying trip to Japan actually look like?⁠
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Most people see the finished collection. They don’t always see the journey behind it.⁠
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For me, every buying trip is a balance of research, auctions, galleries, incredible food, museums, and exploring the places that inspired the artists whose work I collect.⁠
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There are long hours spent studying auction catalogues and examining prints, moments of excitement when I uncover something special, and plenty of time wandering Japan’s streets with a camera in one hand and a bowl of ramen in the other.⁠
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It’s one of the great privileges of this profession, not just sourcing beautiful woodblock prints, but experiencing the culture, history, and landscapes that gave them life.⁠
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Swipe through to spend a day in the life of a Japanese art dealer.⁠
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👇 If you could visit Japan tomorrow, what would be the first thing you’d do?⁠
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Paper Tiger Japanese Art⁠
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08/29/2026

This is Oboroyo (Hazy Moon on a Spring Night) by Itō Shinsui, first published in 1931 by Watanabe.⁠
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A leading master of the Shin-hanga movement, Shinsui was celebrated for his elegant bijin-ga (pictures of beautiful women). But unlike many earlier artists, his women feel remarkably human. Their expressions are thoughtful, their gestures natural, and their beauty understated.⁠
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In Oboroyo, a young woman stands beneath the soft glow of a hazy spring moon. The muted palette, delicate gradations of colour (bokashi), and quiet atmosphere create a scene that feels almost cinematic. Rather than telling a story outright, Shinsui invites us to pause and imagine it.⁠
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It’s this sense of restraint that makes his work so enduring. Nearly a century later, his prints remain among the most sought-after examples of Shin-hanga, admired for their technical brilliance and timeless elegance.⁠
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Sometimes, the quietest images leave the deepest impression. This print is for sale Paper Tiger Japanese Art (link in bio)⁠
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