1963 Un'ichi Hiratsuka Woodcut Block Print Old Georgetown Bookstore Signed and Dated Pencil

The highly collectable and sought after Japanes artist Un-ichi Hiratsuka Pencil Signed and Titled Woodblock print 1963 Titled The Old Georgetown Bookstore

Woodblock Block Print of Old Georgetown Bookstore from 1963 signed in English and Japanese by Un-ichi Hiratsuka (1895–1997),.."one of the founders of the Japanese “creative print” (Jap: sosaku-hanga) movement that began in the early 20th century."
Hiratsuka and the movement …"encouraged artists to design, carve out, and print their own images in a radical shift from the traditional Japanese printmaking process, in which the publisher commissioned artists to design prints and then hired block carvers and printers to produce them. Like the movement’s co-founder Onchi Koshiro (1891–1955), Hiratsuka studied Western painting and printmaking, but while Ochi’s print and book designs are largely inspired by international modernism, many of Hiratsuka’s designs echo the aesthetics and subjects of the early Japanese Buddhist prints that he collected for many years."

The woodcut is dated 1963 and was done while the artist lived and worked in Washington DC. "Hiratsuka taught the first-ever class in woodblock printing in the Tokyo School of Fine Arts, elevating the status of woodblock printing to a fine art at a time when many artists had rejected traditional Japanese artistic techniques in favor of Western ones. Hiratsuka moved to Washington, DC, in 1962, where he taught woodblock printing, exhibited and sold prints, and was commissioned by three standing presidents to carve woodblock prints of national landmarks, including the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, and the Library of Congress."

Artist: Un-ichi Hiratsuka
Date: 1963
Medium: Woodcut
Title: Old Georgetown Bookstore
Attributes: Pencil Signed in Japanese and English with Date

Size: 5 5/16 x 7 1/2 inches paper size 
Condition: Very fine with small bump in image and paper on the left side. Hinged with archival tape on the back top. No damage to the image and in overall very fine condition. Please see images for more details. 

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Additional bio on the Hiratsuka
"Un'ichi Hiratsuka (November 17, 1895 – November 18, 1997), born in Matsue, Shimane, was a Japanese woodblock printmaker. He was one of the prominent leaders of the sōsaku hanga ("creative print") movement in 20th century Japan. Hiratsuka's father was a shrine carpenter, and his grandfather was an architect who designed houses and temples. Therefore, the artist was introduced to wood-working and architecture early in his life. Hiratsuka was the best–trained woodcarver in the sōsaku hanga movement. From 1928 onwards he taught the renowned sōsaku hanga artist Shikō Munakata (1903–1975) wood carving. The same year he joined with seven other like-minded artists to work on the 100 Views of New Tokyo series, to which he contributed twelve prints; his prints were lauded for their "technical beauty and perfection."[1] Between 1935 and 1944 Hiratsuka taught the first blockprinting course at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts. He moved to Washington D.C. in 1962 and spent thirty three years in the United States. While living in Washington DC, he was commissioned by three standing Presidents to carve woodblock prints of National Landmarks, which included the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument and Library of Congress which are in the collections of The National Gallery and Freer Gallery today. He ultimately returned to Japan in 1994."