Japan Art and Hiratsuka Unichi: Shimane Prefecture
Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
Hiratsuka Unichi (Un’ichi) was born in 1895 and died in 1997. He is connected strongly with the sōsaku hanga (creative prints) art movement that blessed Japan. Indeed, Hiratsuka is called the “grand old man” of sōsaku hanga.
The first and third prints represent Hiratsuka Unichi’s home prefecture of Shimane. However, the second print focuses on Mount Koya in Wakayama. This part of Japan is connected with Shingon Buddhism.
The British Museum says, “Hiratsuka qualifies in every respect as the grand old man of the ‘Sosaku Hanga’ movement. He was born in Shimane Prefecture, the son of a shrine carpenter, but, having met Ishii Hakutei (q.v.) in his home town of Matsue in 1913, went to Tokyo in 1915 to study Western painting with Okada Saburosuke (1869-1939). Ishii advised him to learn block-carving, in which he already had acquired a keen interest.”
Hiratsuka Unichi taught many artists. These include Okiie Hashimoto, Fumio Kitaoka, Kobashi Yasuhide, and Shiko Munakata. Therefore, his influence and legacy continue today.
Hiratsuka Unichi said: “By working in black and white, I am emphasizing the ink in traditional Japanese painting, which should be combined with the expressive methods of the European style. The most beautiful range of color is black and white; Eastern people have inherited a sensitive sense of blood in black and white.”
The prints in this article focus on the exquisite color angles of his prints. However, he produced many prints concerning the power of black and white.
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