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Tsuruya Kokei

Kabuki actor Nakamura Tojuro as Kasane
copyright Tsuruya Kokei

Tsuruya Kokei is a unique artist in every aspect. Not only his art style and his talent are unique, but also the way he became an artist and the sudden news of his mysterious retirement that shocked his fans at the end of 2000.

Eight Kinds of Hell

Tsuruya Kokei was born with his real name Gen Mitsu in Chikasaki City in Kanagawa Prefecture. Although he was born into a family of artists, he never had any formal art training nor the intention to step into the footprints of his father and grandfather, who had been professional painters. Gen Mitsu took a job as an employee until he was 32 years old.

At that time he had the idea of making actor prints in a modified style of Sharaku, the greatest mystery artist in the history of ukiyo-e. Kokei made his first prints of popular, contemporary Kabuki actors with a lot of energy and enthusiasm. And when the great moment had come to show the world his prints... nothing happened. Nobody came to see his works and nobody bought anything. Kokei was frustrated, but he was a brave trooper. He made a few more tries to become a print artist - even with a different subject, a series of eight prints titled Eight kinds of Hell.

And you guess it - it failed again and it was a kind of hell for the young artist!

The Kabuki-za Theater in Tokyo

Tsuruya Kokei

Bando Tamasaburo V as Matsukaze
copyright Tsuruya Kokei

Finally there was one man who took notice of Kokei's prints. It was Takeomi Nagayama, the director of the famous Kabuki-za, the old Kabuki theater in the middle of Tokyo. Nagayama not only psyched the young artist up, he had also a workable idea. He proposed to sell the prints at the box office of the theater. ( Today you would call this targeted marketing in yuppie speech. )

Anyway, it worked. Sales were not spectacular at the beginning, but picked up by the time. Later, when the demand for Tsuruya Kokei prints got overwhelming, a subscription scheme was introduced.

A Mysterious and Great Talent

When Sharaku had created his world famous prints, he made a great design on paper and apart from a few later checks and corrections... this was it for him! He could now go for a cup of tea or think about a new design. No risk of cutting his finger with the sharp carving knife or ruining his kimono with ink spots! This was the responsibility of two other guys - a trained carver and a skilled printer.

Not so for Tsuruya Kokei. The artist who had never received any formal art training, was like the Sosaku Hanga artists who wanted to do everything themselves. And he not only mastered the whole printmaking process, but he set his personal standards to the highest level possible. He used a very thin paper called ganpi, which is very difficult to print on. And he applied all these lush and elaborate techniques like gofun (a white powder) and mica (metal pigments) that require the highest level of skill, but turn an ordinary print into a splendid deluxe edition.

Kokei's print editions were small. It took him 40 days to complete one edition of 72 prints - from design to carving to printing. By the way, Kokei did destroy the woodblocks after he had finished a print. Few artists who produce limited editions do it.

The Artist Who Suddenly Stopped

Tsuruya Kokei

Ichikawa Danjuro as Jiraiya
copyright Tsuruya Kokei

Sharaku disappeared after only 10 months. Kokei did not disappear after 22 years of printmaking. But in late 2000 he announced that he would never make actor prints again. In the months ahead, the artist had been hit by a very sad personal tragedy.

Tips For Collectors

The following tips reflect the market situation in springtime of 2003.

The market for Japanese prints and especially for Shin Hanga prints has suffered from too many posthumous editions from original blocks and from reproductions from perfectly recarved new blocks. The concept of limited editions was unknown to the classical Ukiyo-e and to 99 percent of the prints produced until the 60s and 70s of the 20th century.

Prints by Kokei have the advantage of being truly limited and numbered and the blocks were destroyed. Buyers do not run the risk of a later devaluation by more copies being printed. Reproductions from newly carved blocks can be excluded. The printing process is too difficult and the market too small. It would never be worth the effort.

Another charming advantage for collectors of Kokei prints: His art work is well-documented in a very recommendable catalog raisonné titled "Tsuruya Kokei - The Complete Woodblock Prints 1978-2000" - see literature reference.

Kokei prints seem to have suffered from the general bearish market for Japanese prints after about 2000. If you like Kokei's prints, you should use these market slumps as an opportunity to buy. If you have the budget, don't hesitate! Great collections were always built during slump periods and against market trends.

Literature sources used for this Tsuruya Kokei biography

• "Print-maker Specializes in Okubi-e", by Rei Sasaguchi, published in Japan Times in 1988
• "The 100th anniversary of the Kabuki-za Theater, Tsuruya Kokei: Kabuki Actor Prints", published in 1988
• "Tsuruya Kokei - The Complete Woodblock Prints 1978-2000", Hiraki Ukiyo-e Foundation, 2000, no ISBN number

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