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KOKEI, Tsuruya
(born 1946)
The actor Onoe Baiko VII as Mokuzume, in the kabuki play, Tamamo-no Mae kumoi no hareginu.
From: Kabuki-za okubi-e series no. 4

Artist' seal:                  Kokei-no in
Date:                            October 1984
Size:                              dai-oban (c. 39 x 26.5 cms / c. 15.3" x 10.5")

Hand-numbered: #35. Limited edition of  45 impressions only.



Condition:
EXCELLENT impression and color, near fine condition.
Printed on the extremely delicate ganpi paper.



ref. no.: #702578
Price:  € 1,400.00

Tsuru-ya Kokei is the official artist of the Kabuki-za ('-Theater') in Tokyo and only started his career as a woodblock print artist in 1978. Unlike earlier ukiyo-e artists, Kokei does his own carving and printing. He uses the extremely delicate ganpi paper for his work. After a limited number of prints has been made, Kokei destroys the blocks by carving his name across them (see picture at right):

Most of his prints are bust portraits reminiscent of the type developed by Sharaku in the late 18th century.
On the occasion of the one hundredth anniversary of the Kabuki-za in 1988, the Pacific Asia Musuem, Pasadena, Ca., honored Kokei with a major exhibition of his work:

Reference catalog:
The 100th Anniversary of the Kabuki-za Theater - TSURUYA KOKEI: Kabuki Actor Prints; Pacific Asia Museum, Pasadena, CA., USA, 1988;
cat. no.#81, b/w ill. p.88, list no.#72, p.96.


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