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KOKEI, Tsuruya (born 1946)		The actors, Ichikawa Ennosuke III (born 1939) as Otomi, and Ichikawa Danshiro IV (born 1946) as Komori no Yasuzo in the kabuki play, Kirare Otomi. From: Kabuki-za okubi-e series 9, no. 2. - Work no. #137.
		Artist' seal:                 Kokei-no in Date:                             September 1992 Size:                              dai-oban (38.3 x 24.4 cms) Hand-numbered: #57. Limited edition of  90 impressions. Print comes with a certificate, hand-stamped by the artist. Condition:   Mint. ref. no.: #52 338 Price:  € 950.00

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 sample 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.

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