The College Women’s Association of Japan (CWAJ) is a dynamic group of international women dedicated to offering educational and cultural programs both for members and the community. Since 1949 more than 750 women have received scholarships enabling University study outside their home countries in fields ranging from cancer research to traditional Japanese theater. CWAJ also annually funds scholarships for visually impaired men and women in Japan and awards,　both the Artist-in-Residence program (former Art Grant) and the Young Printmaker Award, to promote the further development of Japanese prints (hanga.)

The first CWAJ Print Show, comprised of 91 woodblock prints by 39 artists, opened in October 1956. The show was the brainchild of a CWAJ member who had studied printmaking and the art critic and author Oliver Statler. Through their efforts, the Print Show was born, assuring significant funds for the CWAJ Travel Grants Program, and later the Scholarship Program. Mr. Abe Yuji of Yoseido Gallery in Tokyo assisted the young venture by introducing top-ranked artists. Among those exhibiting in the early shows were Hiratsuka Un’ichi, Saito Kiyoshi, Munakata Shiko, and Onchi Koshiro.

Over the years, the CWAJ Print Show has grown into a highly respected annual exhibition of contemporary Japanese prints. It features many diverse printmaking techniques, from woodcut to intaglio, to lithography, to silkscreen. The Associate Show, which debuted in 1968, further expanded the horizons of the Print Show by allowing in-depth explorations of focused topics.