First edition. Shiko Munakata is associated with the sosaku hanga movement that advocated the principles of "self-drawn," "self-carved," "self-printed" with the belief that the artist must be the sole creator of art to express him or herself. He is also associated with the mingei folk art movement and his woodcuts have a particularly Buddhist flavor. Munakata was awarded the "Prize of Excellence" at the Second International Print Exhibition in Lugano, Switzerland in 1952 and the Order of Culture by the Japanese government in 1970. The introductory text is in English and Japanese, but the other text is in Japanese only. Beautifully illustrated with 25 color plates and 126 black-and-white plates of Munakata's artwork. Two announcements in Japanese are loosely laid-in. Spotting and soiling on the cover. On the back cover the paper is beginning to separate from the boards, creating small creases.