Virgo, from the Zodiac Series

Virgo, the mutable earth sign associated with precision, discernment, and the harvest, offers Kurosaki thematic material suited to his characteristic formal qualities: careful proportion, exact geometric relationships, and the meticulous craft of hand-carved woodblock printing. The maiden's attribute of the wheat sheaf—an emblem of measured abundance and seasonal cycle—might be abstracted into vertical or rhythmic geometric elements, while the sign's association with analytical clarity could be reflected in the composition's economy of means. Of the twelve signs in the series, Virgo may be among the most restrained, favoring geometric order over dynamic tension. In his sosaku-hanga practice, Kurosaki approached each block as a problem in spatial calibration; Virgo's conceptual alignment with precision makes the sign a natural subject for a printmaker committed to absolute control over his medium. Multiple hand-carved woodblocks, printed in sequence on washi with exacting registration, produce the flat abutting color fields that characterize the Zodiac Series and demonstrate the technical mastery Kurosaki had developed through his years at the Kyoto City University of Arts and subsequent independent practice.