Japanese woodblock prints have a long, complex history and went through many stylistic changes. Varying in complexity and subject matter, they were a very accessible and widely available art form in Japan for centuries and formed the foundation of modern art.

The freedom of creation and imagination allowed the artists of woodblock prints to introduce supernatural and bizarre elements into their works. Bright colors, anthropomorphic animals, and strange changes to the human body all surfaced from various artists' imaginations. While we cannot broadly say that woodblock prints were unanimously the previous step to modern surrealism, their prescence certainly helped.

The precedent of imaginative visual art pieces were a springboard for the exploration that took place among the small but passionate group of Japanese surreal artists in the early 20th century: disjunct themes, the combination or organic and manmade structures, and abstract forms interacting with people all appeared in woodblock prints before surrealist works.

The draw of surrealism, according to historian Miriam Sas, is that it allows for unobstructed communication. Despite the overwhelming, confusing, and sometimes frightening nature of the art form, it allows for the artist to express their ideas freely without accounting for standards or boundaries of what is possible or acceptible in reality. The colorful, abstract, and imaginative nature of woodblock prints were a gateway for artists to tap into their innermost ideas of what art can really communicate to the viewer.

The English word "surrealism" comes from the Latin roots meaning "below reality", like it is something more primative or basic.

But the Japanese word for surrealism, "chougenjitsushugi", uses an emphatic prefix meaning "ultra" or "super". Surrealism is extra real, more true and sincere than any other art movement, because it speaks freely and uninhibited.