Temple in Korea

The printmaker Hiratsuka Un'ichi traveled in Korea in 1933 and again in 1943, after teaching a semester at the National School of Fine Arts in Beijing. Sketches from these trips provided much imagery for future works.

One example is this print of a Korean landscape, in black ink on paper. Beyond a stone marker in the foreground, which advises visitors to dismount from their horses, we see a walled temple in the distance. Outside, a woman carries a basket on her head. Elements such as the temple wall, the wide peaceful yard, the tall trees with their interplay of light and shadow, and the stone marker somehow resonate associations with ancient Japanese temples; at the same time, the flaring lines of the temple roof and the woman's garments and carrying method clearly distinguish this as an foreign landscape.

Hiratsuka was born in Matsue, on the north coast of Japan, which had previously been a center of trade with Korea and China. His family's profession as shrine and temple builders and the proximity of the ancient shrine of Izumo gave him an interest in the spirituality of ancient structures from a young age. He continued this interest as an adult, sketching temples and avidly collecting ancient roof tiles. He also collected black and white Buddhist prints.

Unlike most earlier printmakers, Hiratsuka carved his own blocks—this was one characteristic of Creative Print (sosaku hanga) artists. By the time he made this work, he was moving away from multicolored prints towards his mature style in deep black ink on white paper. This print evinces both his mastery of this technique and his ability to imbue his subject matter with an intimacy that transcends national and cultural boundaries.