This paper attempts to discover a Scottish female artist Elizabeth Keith (1887–1956) in the context of Shin-hanga (New prints) which started in Tokyo in around 1915. Given the fact that New prints aimed at a revitalisation of the distinctive Japanese multicoloured woodblock prints rooted in Ukiyo-e of Edo period by following its traditional making process, what especially requires careful consideration is the role played by several Western artists in this movement rather than those of Japanese. Keith should thus be focused on as a milestone to shed light on some crucial aspects of the activities carried out by Western artists who energetically engaged in the production of woodblock prints in Japan around her time. Through not only close examination of the original prints in museum collections but also careful scrutiny of valuable related literary materials, frequent use of remarkable blue colours by Keith along with her keen senses, as well as her special sympathetic gaze casted upon various kinds of things she encountered in the East are revealed. Moreover, by making an analytical comparison between several specific works produced by Keith and those by other artists, it is also demonstrated that Keith's style should completely be distinguished from the orientalised representation that can be regarded as a stereotype shared among her contemporaries. The conclusion therefore highlights the significance of Keith as a transcultural artist, who challenged a complexed art scene in-between East and West through a medium of woodblock prints in the first half of the twentieth century in Japan.

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