Mokuhanga is the Japanese word for the waterbased woodblock printing technique developed during the Edo period. Moku means wood and hanga can be translated as printing. This technique has gained recognition as a flexible and non-toxic method of printmaking for contemporary creative artists. While many international artists now use this technique, it is still difficult to find tools, materials, markets, textbooks and research opportunities related to mokuhanga.

The triennial International Mokuhanga Conference was established to address these needs by bringing together printmakers, academicians, researchers and materials/tool makers. The Conference offers a forum for international discussion, and a way for people from different disciplines and different countries to share ideas about this exciting technique, rooted in history, but evolving in new directions that reflect the ideas of contemporary artists.

The inaugural conference, IMC2011, was held in Kyoto, Japan, with satellite events held at nearby Awaji Island.

The second conference, IMC2014, was held in Tokyo, Japan, and hosted by Tokyo University of the Arts (Tokyo Geidai) with satellite events taking place at 3331 Arts Chiyoda.

The third conference, IMC2017, was the first to be held outside Japan, in Hawaii, USA. It was hosted by the Donkey Mill Art Center, home of Holualoa Foundation for Arts & Culture. The main conference was held at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, in Honolulu on Oahu. Satellite events took place at Donkey Mill Art Centre on the island of Hawaii.