Bamboo

This kacho-e subject focuses on bamboo stalks and foliage, a motif Kotozuka returned to throughout his career as a vehicle for exploring the graphic and atmospheric possibilities of woodblock printing. The interlocking culms and lance-shaped leaves create a rhythmic pattern of verticals, diagonals, and negative space. Kotozuka's Kyoto studio training is evident in the controlled application of green and grey-green tones, likely with graduated bokashi transitions suggesting filtered light through dense growth. Bamboo groves surround many of Kyoto's major temples — Arashiyama and Fushimi among them — giving the subject a distinct regional grounding. The carved key block delineates each stalk and leaf edge with precision, and color blocks are printed in carefully planned sequence to achieve the tonal layering characteristic of his work.