Hiratsuka Unichi

This woodblock portrait depicts Hiratsuka Unichi, who became one of the most important sosaku-hanga artists and theorists of the twentieth century. Hakutei, as a senior figure in the creative print movement, had mentored and inspired younger printmakers including Hiratsuka, making this portrait a document of generational connection within the sosaku-hanga world. The choice to render a fellow artist's likeness in woodblock rather than paint or photograph speaks to the medium's centrality in both men's lives. Hakutei's portrait technique draws on his Western painting education, using tonal modeling and direct observation rather than the stylized conventions of traditional Japanese portraiture. The print serves simultaneously as a personal tribute and as a record of the creative print community's tight-knit social fabric.