Long live Ukiyo-e! Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

This print departs from Kokei's principal yakusha-e (actor portrait) subjects to pay homage to Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839–1892), the late Edo and Meiji-era designer whose work bridged the closing chapters of traditional ukiyo-e. The composition likely renders Yoshitoshi as an ōkubi-e bust portrait, framed by the inscription 'Long live Ukiyo-e!' — a self-aware statement positioning Kokei within a continuing lineage of the floating-world tradition. Following sōsaku-hanga principles, Kokei would have designed, carved, and printed the work himself on ganpi paper, the silken-surfaced fiber that registers fine line and subtle bokashi gradations. Embellishments such as gofun and mica, characteristic of Kokei's deluxe impressions, would mark the limited edition. The piece functions as dedication and manifesto at once: an acknowledgment that woodblock printmaking, far from a museum tradition, remained a living practice through the late twentieth century.