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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 only. Print comes with a certificate, hand-stamped by the artist. Condition:   EXCELLENT impression and color. MINT. ref. no.: #520338 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 (view 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.

At right: Photograph of the actor Ichikawa Ennosuke III; from a brochure of a kabuki theater performance, with plays starring the actor, on the occasion of the "Japan Week" held in Düsseldorf, Germany, in 1993.

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