Bust Portrait Bando Tomisaburo V as Matsukaze- Design no 148

Bando Tomisaburo V (1802–1862) was an Edo-period onnagata of an earlier generation, and the Design No. 148 numbering places this print within Kokei's extended numbered series documenting kabuki actors across historical periods rather than only contemporary performers. The Matsukaze role — the grieving ama who waits in vain for her noble lover — suits an onnagata specialist, and the bust format common to Kokei's actor series allows the face, wig architecture, and upper-garment layering to fill the composition. The numbered design system Kokei employs is reminiscent of catalogued print series of the Edo period, situating his work within a documentary tradition of theatrical record-keeping. Close registration of fine color blocks would define the patterning of the kimono visible at the shoulder and the precise line of the katsura against the actor's brow, reconstructing a historical stage figure through the technical means of contemporary printmaking.