7 Free Sites to Download 1,000s of Classic Japanese Artworks

Access free art prints, illustrated eBooks, and lots more with this collection of online resources to learn about Japanese art

Japanese art has been a source of inspiration for artists all over the world for thousands of years. Spanning a huge range of mediums, from woodblock prints and paintings to manga and anime, calligraphy, and beyond, its influences can be seen in everything from Impressionist art to the works of Van Gogh.

If you're looking for some creative inspiration or artwork to use in your own projects, below we’ve curated a list of online resources where you can access free-to-download Japanese art prints and posters by iconic artists, browse illustrated eBooks, and learn about everything from ukiyo-e to Yokohama-e.

A brief history of Japanese art

The earliest works of Japanese art have been associated with the spread of Buddhism in the seventh and eighth centuries and date back to the Jomon period—named for the rope that was used to decorate ceramics at the time. Since then, art in Japan has undergone a huge number of changes influenced by other cultures and has had an equally influential impact on art from overseas.

Many of the classic artworks shared in the archives below were created during the Edo and Meiji periods, a time when—influenced by the social and political climate of the country—artists began experimenting and influencing others around the world to do the same. So, before you dive in, let's take a quick look at the history of Japanese art through these defining eras:

- Edo Period: 1603 to 1867

Described by the National Gallery of Art as one of the richest periods in the history of Japanese art, the Edo era welcomed an influx of new artistic styles “in elaborate screen paintings and scrolls, dramatic sculpture and armor, elegant ceramics and lacquers, lively textiles and color woodblock prints.”

The gallery goes on to explain how art also became more accessible during Edo period: “Subject matter once reserved for the aristocracy or samurai was appropriated by the newly affluent merchant class, despite the rigid hierarchical organization of society.”

- Meiji Period: 1868 to 1912

Through the 18-1900s, Japanese art became more widely available in the Western world, leading to both a change in the Japanese aesthetic, as well as a movement that, as the The New York Times describes, “would radically transform Europe’s visual culture.”

The Meiji era saw the country experience radical social and political shifts, as well as an openness to more Western ideas. Speaking of its impact on the art of the period, Head of Japanese Art at Christie's, Takaaki Murakami, notes: “The Meiji era brought Japanese art to the international stage for the first time,” causing “a rapid expansion of artistic forms, mediums, subjects, and styles,”—many of which can be found in the resources below.

Note: This list of resources includes a number of works shared under the creative commons license that you can use in your own creative projects. However, it’s always best to double-check the license restrictions for each artwork in your country of use.

7 free online resources to download and browse Japanese art

1. Japanese Public Domain collection, via Rawpixel

RawPixel is a useful resource for artists of all disciplines, with over one million free images, mockups, and graphic templates, dedicated to various forms of creative expression, including Japanese art.

Via its Japanese Public Domain, you’ll find a large collection of digitally enhanced artwork featuring everything from geishas and animals to landscapes, created by artists in both the Edo and Meiji eras.

The images are free to download, pooled from a wide collection of sources and establishments, including renowned art spaces like the Rijksmuseum and the MET. The images are organized into trending, popular, and new categories; plus all entries are accompanied by helpful information like the year they were created, the artist behind them, and their licensing details.

2. Japanese woodblock prints, via Ukiyo-e Search

Ukiyo-e is a genre of Japanese woodblock print and painting popular through the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries. Commonly translated to "pictures of the floating world"—in reference to the temporary, transitory nature of life—ukiyo-e was designed to entertain the masses and draw attention to the present. The subjects depicted in this style of artwork were typically prominent social figures and romantic Japanese landscapes.

Via the Ukiyo-e database, you can access over 200,000 ukiyo-e woodblock prints from museums, libraries, auctions, and beyond. The website is available in both English and Japanese, and its search function, Ukiyo-e Search, gives visitors the ability to search for images using pictures of similar, existing artwork.

3. Rare illustrated books, via Smithsonian Libraries and Arhcives

For artists looking to take their exploration of Japanese art further, the Smithsonian's online library houses a collection of rare Japanese illustrated books from The Freer | Sackler Library.

With books from the Edo and Meiji eras, each is filled with carefully-crafted illustrations by famous artists such as Andō Hiroshige and Katsushika Hokusai. They’re also available to view in the form of two-page spreads, giving creatives the opportunity to see each image in its entirety, along with the makeup of the book itself.

Via Smithsonian library, you can also download free Nihonga-style Japanese wave illustrations, created by Mori Yuzan (learn more here).

4. Japanese Postcard Archive, via MFA

According to Anne Nishimura Morse, a Japanese art curator at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston (MFA), during the twentieth century, “the new medium of the postcard quickly replaced the traditional woodblock print as the favored tableau for contemporary Japanese images.” She continues, “postcards—both a fresh form of visual expression and an important means of advertising—reveal much about the dramatically changing values of Japanese society at the time.”

To discover more about the history of the influential art form during the 1900s, via the MFA website, you can explore a collection of 20,000 Japanese postcards by theme—from Art Nouveau and Art Deco to royalty, military, and advertising.

5. Vintage illustrated firework catalogs, via Yokohama City Library

Fireworks have played a fundamental part in Japanese celebrations throughout history; the country even has festivals dedicated to their creativity and craftsmanship.

Offering insights into this rich tradition, Yokohama City Library shares a collection of beautifully illustrated firework catalogs, created by Hirayama Fireworks in the late 19th century.

The website is in Japanese but you can learn more about how to use the resource and dive into the history of fireworks and their capacity for storytelling in this article.

6. Japanese Print Collection, via Van Gogh Museum

As its name suggests, the Van Gogh Museum is centered around the life and work of the world-renowned artist, who was heavily influenced by Japanese culture and creativity. The website goes into detail about how art from Japan influenced Van Gogh and his works and features almost 700 entries of Japanese artwork for others to use as inspiration.

Users can search by medium, technique, subject, and more to discover work by the likes of Utagawa Hiroshige, the artist considered to be the great master of ukiyo-e.

7. 17th-20th Century Fine Prints, via Library of Congress

The Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress is home to over 2,500 Japanese fine prints from the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries. Discover woodblock prints and drawings on a huge range of topics and genres, from landscapes and literature to daily life. In particular, the collection offers a great collection of ukiyo-e art, alongside Yokohama-e, another defining genre of the era.

The archive is broken down into featured content as well as collection items, with art available to download in a variety of formats from JPEGs to GIFs. The library has also rounded up information on the rights for reusing the artwork.

Continue exploring the world of Japanese art

- Want to put your inspiration into practice? Explore fifteen online creative courses inspired by Japanese art, from Sumi-e painting to shodo.

- Learn how to combine traditional techniques with digital tools to create contemporary artwork inspired by Japanese motifs in Yohey Horishita's online course.

- Level up your drawing skills with these free manga and sumi-e tutorials for beginners.