Artist: Hiratsuka Un’ichi 平塚運一 (Japanese, 1895–1997)
Title: Stone Bridge, Katsura, Kyoto
Date: 1966
Medium: Woodblock print on paper
Dimensions: 33 ½ x 25 in.
Credit Line: Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Theodore Van Zelst, 1985.109
As is custom, all Japanese names are listed by family name first.
Stone Bridge, Katsura, Kyoto is a large-scale, landscape woodblock print that speaks to the tranquility of transition. The Shirakawa Bashi Bridge leads from the eastern gardens to the most prestigious teahouse in the Katsura Imperial Villa, the Shōkintei pavilion [1]. However, in this print there is no sign of the teahouse, as Hiratsuka Un’ichi has instead decided to focus on the bridge itself. The composition is symmetrically balanced, with the foreground and background angling outward from the bridge. Hiratsuka has also played with perspective, using exaggerated foreshortening and an unnatural downcast angle to pull the viewer’s eye toward the bridge, emphasizing its role as a point of transition between two landmasses. While the work is flat and simplified, it is defined by bold, thick black lines that provide a tactile sense of texture. The heavy, short strokes describe the weathered surface of the stone, the deep groves of the tree bark, and the grit of the soil. The negative white space in the middle ground represents still water, with lines serving as the shadows of the surrounding foliage. The artist’s hanko (signature seal) on the right-hand side provides the only pop of color in an otherwise purely black-and-white landscape. Overall, the print creates a sense of peace through its structural balance and minimalist approach, intentionally stripping away visual distractions.
Hiratsuka Un’ichi was born in 1895 in Matsue, a city known for its bridged canals, to a family of carpenters and shrine architects. Although Hiratsuka originally trained to take over his family business, he left business school to pursue his passion for art. In 1913, he studied under Western-style painter and woodblock printer Hakutei Ishii, who later introduced him to master block cutter Igami Bonkotsu. Igami took Hiratsuka in as an apprentice, training him in the art of woodblock printing. After his apprenticeship, Hiratsuka spent most of the 1920s traveling and offering courses in woodblock printing across Japan [2]. It was during this time that he met many foundational figures of the up-and-coming sōsaku hanga, or “creative print” movement in Japan.
The sōsaku hanga movement was characterized mainly by artists dedicated to completing every step of the production process and blending Japanese and Western art techniques. It allowed artists autonomy in experimenting with their subjects and art styles. They aimed to revive woodblock printing, which had become a more commercial product during the Edo period (1603–1868) as an artform in Japan. Although the movement never gained traction in Japan, small galleries and private collectors in Europe and America were drawn to the rural landscapes that were often the subjects of sōsaku hanga works [3]. Hiratsuka Un’ichi would become known as leader of sōsaku hanga by mentoring some of the most well-known artists of the movement [4].
Hiratsuka came into his signature style in the mid-1930s while he was teaching the first woodblock printing course at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts. His early career work mostly consisted of Western-style fine-line colorful prints of Japanese landscapes and portraits. However, he gradually began to gravitate towards darker color schemes and bolder shapes. He became known for his tsukibori, or “poking strokes,” technique, in which he would carve rough and jagged edges into the wood using a small square-end chisel in short strokes. He made a full transition to black-and-white printing after World War II. When asked why, he stated that “printing in black on white is often considered the first step of technique, but it is actually the final point…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.” [5]
In 1962, Hiratsuka traveled to Washington D.C. to visit his wife, who had been staying with their daughter’s family in Georgetown. What began as a short trip turned to a long-term residence, as Hiratsuka remained there for over 30 years. Hiratsuka found relative success working there and was commissioned by several U.S. presidents to do prints of important American landmarks, such as the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, and the Library of Congress [6].
Although Hiratsuka lived in Washington D.C., he frequently made visits to Japan. During one visit in 1960, Hiratsuka visited the Katsura Imperial Villa and sketched the bridge depicted in this print. The Katsura Imperial Villa was constructed sometime between 1615 and 1662 under Prince Toshihiro and later his son, Prince Toshitada. The latter was inspired by the classic novel The Tale of Genji and wanted to incorporate important scenes from it into his garden [7]. What drew Hiratsuka to this bridge in particular is a mystery, as there are much grander features throughout around the vast garden.
Although the sōsaku hanga movement went relatively unrecognized, the significance of Hiratsuka’s work was recognized multiple times in Japan. In 1970, he received the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Third Class from Japan for “his contribution to woodblock printing as a contemporary art.” [8] In 1991, the Hiratsuka Un’ichi Hanga Museum was established in Suzuka, Nagano, cementing his legacy as a foundational figure in the movement.
Stone Bridge, Katsura, Kyoto encapsulates Hiratsuka’s dedication to essence over excess. The print shows the importance of the paths we take, as our destinations would be unreachable without them. By stripping away color and deep space, he invites viewers to pause at the threshold and linger in the act of crossing.
– Contributed by Aja Frazier, 2025-2026 Curatorial Intern
Bibliography
Imperial Household Agency. “Kyoto Imperial Palace and other Imperial Villas in Kyoto.” Accessed February 2, 2026. https://www.kunaicho.go.jp/en/learn/institution/shisetsu/kyoto/katsura-ph.html.
Katsura Imperial Villa. n.d. “Explanation.” Shokintei. Accessed February 2, 2026. https://kyoto-gosho.kunaicho.go.jp/en/building/2A30.
Kyoto Imperial Palace. n.d. “About the Kyoto Imperial Palace.” Visit Guide. Accessed February 2, 2026. https://kyoto-gosho.kunaicho.go.jp/en.
Merrit, Helen. 1990. Modern Japanese Woodblock Prints: The Early Years. University of Hawaii Press.
Unichi Hiratsuka, Sosaku-Hanga Master. n.d. “Home.” Accessed February 2, 2026. https://www.unichihiratsuka.com/home.
Wanczura, Dieter. 2003. “Unichi Hiratsuka — Pioneer of Sosaku Hanga.” Artelino, July 27. Last modified August 15, 2025. https://www.artelino.com/articles/unichi_hiratsuka.asp.
Winther-Tamaki, Bert. 2016. “The Ligneous Aesthetic of Postwar Sōsaku Hanga Movement and American Perspectives on the Modern Japanese Culture of Wood.” Archives of Asian Art 66 (2): 213-238. https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/aaa.2016.0017.
Notes
[1] “Explanation,” in Shokintei, Katsura Imperial Villa, accessed February 2, 2026, https://kyoto-gosho.kunaicho.go.jp/en/building/2A30.
[2] Helen Merritt. Modern Japanese Woodblock Prints: The Early Years. University of Hawaii Press, 1990, 142; 200-201.
[3] Bert Winther-Tamaki. “The Ligneous Aesthetic of the Postwar Sōsaku Hanga Movement and American Perspectives on the Modern Japanese Culture of Wood,” Archives of Asian Art 66, no. 2 (2016): 213-238. https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/aaa.2016.0017.
[4] Merritt, 200.
[5] Dieter Wanczura. “Unichi Hiratsuka – Pioneer of Sosaku Hanga,” Artelino, accessed April 2, 2026, https://www.artelino.com/articles/unichi_hiratsuka.asp.
[6] Unichi Hiratsuka, Sosaku Hanga Master. “Home,” accessed February 2, 2026, https://www.unichihiratsuka.com/home.
[7] “About the Kyoto Imperial Palace,” in Visit Guide, Kyoto Imperial Palace, accessed February 2, 2026, https://kyoto-gosho.kunaicho.go.jp/en.
[8] Merritt, 210.
