Tsuruya Kokei Signed Limited Edition Japanese Woodblock Print Nakamura Tomijuro

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Tsuruya Kokei Signed Limited Edition Japanese Woodblock Print Nakamura Tomijuro

About the Item

A wonderful and quite rare woodblock print by unique master Japanese artist/ printmaker Tsuruya Kokei. This work is titled "Nakamura Tomijuro V as Todorokibo Shinsai" in "Onna Shibaraku" and comes from Kokei's famed Bust Portraits VII (Design 3) which were based on Kabuki actor portraits (The play was performed at the Kabuki-za, April 1990). The work is printed on delicately thin Japanese ganpi paper and embellished with a mica background. It comes from a limited edition of 90 prints. Kokei famously destroyed all the woodblocks once the print run was complete so that no further prints could be made (his prints are truly limited and no further copies were ever produced which makes him so coveted by collectors). It is signed with the two artists' seals at the top left (Seal of Kokei). Tsuruya Kokei was born Gen Mitsu in 1946 in Chikasaki City in Kanagawa Prefecture into a family of artists and artisans though he never had any formal training in the arts. After initially pursuing a corporate career, it was not until the late 1970s at the age of 32, having found inspiration in the Kabuki actor prints of the Edo period, that he created his first art print. His first attempts were not well received. It was Takeomi Nagayama, the director of the famous Kabuki-za, the old Kabuki theater in the middle of Tokyo who took notice of Kokei's work and help propel his career as an artist by proposing to sell Kokei's prints at the box office of the theater. Between 1978 and 2000, Kokei produced upwards of 12 limited edition designs, each of which was sold during the production of the play depicted. Kokei, like many Sosaku Hanga artists before him, completed each print from start to finish – designing, carving, inking, printing, and, ultimately and now famously, as previously mentioned, destroying each block himself. Designs were complex and the process tedious. It is said it took him 40 days to complete one edition of 72 prints - from design to carving to printing. Though sales of these works were initially slow they would eventually pick up to the point that demand outpaced supply and members of the “Kokei-kai,” could sign up in advance to purchase Kokei Tsuruya's designs for two years, and later, for a 15 month period. Suddenly, in 2000, at arguably the height of his artistic popularity, Kokei retired mysteriously and announced that he would never make actor prints again (perhaps due to a personal tragedy) adding to his already growing mystique as an artist (though in 2017, Kokei would return to woodblock printmaking with his project Banzai Ukiyoe-ha Gosugata). Today, Tsuruya Kokei’s work can be found in numerous collections and international museums including the British Museum, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Pacific Asia Museum, Pasadena, CA, the Yale University Art Gallery, and the Honolulu Museum of Art. In 2019, the Pacific Asia Museum with the University of Southern California held the retrospective "Tsuruya Kokei: Modern Kabuki Prints Revised & Revisited." Provenance: The Estate of Richard Kelton, Los Angeles (The Kelton Art Collection) This work would be a great addition to any collectors of Kokei's work or Japanese/Asian prints or be an eye-catching stand-alone accent artwork in about any setting. Dimensions: 15.25" high, 9.75" wide.

Dimensions:
Height: 15.25 in (38.74 cm)Width: 9.75 in (24.77 cm)Depth: 0.1 in (2.54 mm)
Style:
Showa (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Paper
Place of Origin:
Japan
Period:
1990-1999
Date of Manufacture:
1990
Condition:
The print is in very good vintage condition with one short crease at far right (that can perhaps be flattened when properly matted and framed) else no discernable flaws (please see photos). A very good color, impression, and state. Beautiful overall.
Seller Location:
Studio City, CA
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU2254334758242