Throughout the world, the art of printing has been intimately linked with religious practices. In the case of East Asia, printing technology evolved within the context of Buddhism, and its development was related to the acquisition of religious merit.
 
This catalogue surveys and illustrates the collection of Japanese Buddhist and Shintõ prints formed by Manly Palmer Hal, who founded the Philosophical Research Society, Los Angeles, in 1934. At a time when most Western collectors were only interested in ukiyo-e, Hall preferred religious prints. He began collecting Japanese religious prints on a trip to the country in the 1920's and continued until the 1970's, recognizing their aesthetic and spiritual value. The prints examnied here represent the most systematically assembled part of his collection, dating from the 12th century to the 20th century, and vary in style, subject matter and technique.