Yamaguchi Gen was a woodblock artist who was born in Fuji City, Shizuoka, and died in Enoura, Numazu City, which is also located in Shizuoka Prefecture. The first he approached about the technique of woodblock printing was Shizuo Fujimori (1891-1943) when they were together in Taiwan, where Yamaguchi was raised.
Yamaguchi studied under Onchi Kôshirô whom he met through social service activities in Kyoto. In 1939 he joined the Ichimokushû (First Thursday Society), a group led by his teacher Onchi. Yamaguchi was much occupied by abstract woodblock prints during this period.
In 1949, Yamaguchi became a member of the Kokuga-kai. He was awarded many major prizes at international print exhibitions including Ljubljana in 1956, and Lugano in 1958.
