In 1935, Yanagi Sōetsu (1889-1961), father of the mingei (folk art) movement, saw Munakata's prints at the Kokugakai's annual spring exhibition, and bought twenty-five prints of Yamato shi Uruwashi by Munakata.
Munakata's house and most of his woodblocks were destroyed in the American firebombing of Tokyo in May 1945 his pet was also killed.