See Prints
HIRATSUKA UN’ICHI—1895-2002
Born in Matsue, Shimane Prefecture. Graduated from Matsue Commercial
College. Took a short course in watercolor from Ishii Hakutei
in Matsue in 1913. Encouraged by Hakutei’s praise, he moved
to Tokyo in 1915 and assisted Hakutei with the business of Nikakai.
Although he studied formally with Okada Saburosuke, Ishii Hakutei
was his mentor. At Hakutei’s suggestion he studied woodblock
carving with the master carver Igami Bonkotsu for 10 months 1915.
Exhibited his first moku hanga with Nikakai in 1916. Return to
Matsue in 1918; remained until 1920. In 1921, back in Tokyo, he
began work for the magazine “Travel and Culture (Ryoko to
Bungei)” After the 1923 earthquake, he learned to carve
and construct frames for oil painters and in 1924, taught frame-making
in conjunction with Yamamoto Kanae’s farmers’ art
movement. He was a member of Nihon Sosaku-Hanga Kyokai and founding
member of Nihon Hanga Kiyokai. From 1931, he served as head of
the print section of Kokugakai. He created several series of prints
including “Scenes of Tokyo after the Earthquake” (Tokyo
shinsai ato fukei), 1923-1927 and Scenes of Azuchi (Azuchi Fukei),
1931, and contributed to numerous group series. In 1939, he exhibited
100 pieces of his collection of old Buddhist Prints at the Tokyo
Folk Art Museum. Contributed to “Shi to Hanga”, “Han”,
“Shiro to kuro” HANGA, dessan, Kasuri, Mura no hanga
and Han Geijutsu. He supervised publication of Kitsutsuki in 1930-31
and later Kitsutsuki hangashu in 1942-1943.
He was highly respected as a pioneer of the creative print movement
and teacher of many sosaku-hanga artists in short courses throughout
Japan; taught extracurricular course at Tokyo School of Fine Arts
1935-1944. His early prints are principally color landscapes;
later from mid-1930s, black and white with influences from ancient
Buddhist prints and early ukiyoe. In 1962, he moved to Washington,
DC, where he continued producing and exhibiting; works of this
period include a series of 100 nudes. Used various kanji signatures,
also, in mid-1920s, the letters “UN” were carved in
the block.
During the last years of his life, he moved back to Japan where
he lived until his death.
See Prints
|
