The Rain-Eater: A Woodblock Print Collection by Yoshimi Kubo

"The Rain Eater: Woodblock Prints by Sutemi Kubo" is a collection of works published in 2009, compiling the art of woodblock print artist Sutemi Kubo, who continued his practice based in Mie Prefecture. It was edited and published by Yu Kaneko, a former high school Japanese teacher.

Kubo was born in Mie Prefecture in 1948. Except for a period spent studying art in Tokyo, he continued his practice in Mie, beginning his woodblock print work around 1975. He did not belong to any art organizations, maintaining a life of working as a wood furniture craftsman while facing woodblocks at night. By the time this book was published, he had produced over 1,700 woodblock prints, most of which are composed in black and white.

Kaneko had been thinking about creating a collection of Kubo’s work ever since they first met, and he began the editing process after retiring from high school in 2008. He visited Kubo’s home, reviewed over 1,700 pieces, and structured the book while selecting just over 200 of them. In addition to the prints, the book includes materials such as "About Sutemi Kubo" by Kaneko, an essay by Maho Okabe, an interview, and texts written by Kubo himself, including "Appeal for Creative Prints Exhibition," "Towards Woodblock Print Street Exhibitions," and "On Woodblock Prints."

The book’s title is derived from Kubo’s small piece, "The Rain Eater." Kaneko had long remembered the sentiment Kubo expressed about the work—"If rain were food, people would not have to fight over it and could live in peace"—and chose "The Rain Eater" as the title for the collection. This volume records not only the artworks themselves but also the life, society, and philosophy that Kubo engaged with through his prints.

[Title] The Rain Eater: Woodblock Prints by Sutemi Kubo
[Publisher] Yu Kaneko
[Publication Date] February 1, 2009 (First edition, first printing)
[Number of Pages] 140 pages
[Size] Approx. 193×257×14mm / Actual weight 605g
[Format] Softcover
[Language] Japanese
[Title Reading] Ame o kuu hito Kubo Sutemi mokuhangashu
[Author/Editor, etc.] Sutemi Kubo/Author, Yu Kaneko/Editor, Publisher, and Book Designer, Maho Okabe/Contributor
[Printing/Binding] Tokai Shuppan/Printing and Binding
[ISBN] -
[Condition] Used, signed on the colophon page [7] Very Good (slight stains on top edge)
[Accessories] -
[Featured In] -
[Related Exhibition] -

Sutemi Kubo (1948–2023)

Born in Tsu City, Mie Prefecture in 1948. He studied at the Kaneijizaka Art Research Institute in Tokyo and began producing paintings in the 1960s. He started creating woodblock prints around 1975, continuing his practice based in Mie Prefecture thereafter.

He did not belong to any art organizations and continued his printmaking while working as a wood furniture craftsman. Through black-and-white woodblock expressions, he created works with themes concerning war, peace, life, society, and individual existence. In addition to street exhibitions and solo exhibitions, he was involved in activities such as the "Jin-ten" (People Exhibition), which aimed to reform the art scene.

In the 1990s, he opened the "Bijutsukan Kogenkan" (Museum of Personal Expression) to house his prints and launched the personal journal "Hyogensha" (The Expressionist). He held solo exhibitions in Tokyo, Nagoya, and Mie. He passed away in 2023 at the age of 75, leaving behind approximately 2,000 works.

In 2026, the Mie Prefectural Art Museum held an exhibition introducing 30 of Kubo’s works from its collection, alongside the actual woodblocks he used.

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