Untitled

An untitled, abstract-classified print from Kobayashi Kiyochika's workshop, this work reflects the production context of his mature career, when publishers including Matsuki Heikichi issued his light-picture series to an audience that recognized and sought out the distinctive atmospheric effects of his kosen-ga approach. The printer's craft is central to these works: achieving the luminous core that Kiyochika's compositions typically feature required applying near-white or pale yellow ink with controlled [bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) to simulate the way human vision accommodates bright light sources. Surrounding passages of dark ink were applied using separate blocks, with the overall composition assembled from five to ten individual color impressions on dampened [kozo](/glossary/kozo)-fiber [washi](/glossary/washi).