Hiratsuka Un'ichi (1895 - 1997)

Un'ichi Hiratsuka was born in Matsue in 1895, and he died 102 years later, his long life covering the Sôsaku Hanga movement, as we know it now.
During his life he knew everyone who meant anything: first of all Ishii Hakutei, whom he met in Matsue in 1913, who taught him watercolours, and who was his mentor until his first exhibition of moku-hanga in 1916 at the Nikakai Art Association. After that he had a rich artistic life, and he can justly be considered one of the leading figures of Sôsaku Hanga. He occurs in practically every biography of 20th century Sôsaku Hanga artists. Since 1962 he lived in Washington D.C., with his married daughter. He remained active until the very end of his life.
One of his contributions to woodblock carving is the tsuki-bori ("poking carving") technique, where he moved his square carving tool from side to side, creating a very characteristic jagged line.