Japan
Takahashi Hiromitsu was born in Kanagawa prefecture in 1959, Hiromitsu graduated from Nihon University in 1981. An obvious successor to the Ukiyo-e artists of the Edo period in his choice of subject his methods and style show the strong influence of Yoshitoshi Mori a stencil print artist whom Hiromitsu's parents served as printers.
Hiromitsu is often referre to as “The Last of the Kappazuri Masters.” Kappa-zuri is the traditional Japanese art of stencil, for use in both textile design and print-making. Unless Hiromitsu finds a student who wishes to make this technique his or her own, it will probably die out as a mode of print-making as no one today has the required training to keep this intricate art alive.