Long live Ukiyo-e! Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

This print departs from Kokei's principal [yakusha-e](/glossary/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](/glossary/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](/glossary/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.