Reika Iwami was born in Tokyo in 1927. After graduating from the Bunka Gakuin Art College in Tokyo, Iwami practiced the art of doll making and doll carving. Since becoming a printmaker in 1954, Iwami's work has been widely exhibited internationally and is represented in public collections in the United States, the British Museum, and collections in Japan. Iwami rarely makes a large edition of prints because the force required to emboss her works with 'blind' blocks is arduous. Her prints typically feature shades of black, grey, white and some metallic gold or silver.