The artist typically positions the actor against a blank, unprinted expanse or a background in a solid color. Sometimes, the ground includes softly light-reflective mica, a technique borrowed from Toshusai Sharaku, a venerated late-18th century predecessor about whom little is known. (Three works by Sharaku, printed in the 1940s from original blocks, are also on view.) Unusual for the genre, Kokei not only designs the image but cuts the soft, magnolia-wood block and does his own printing — jobs usually handed off to technicians.

Source: Los Angeles Times April 23, 2019 14:03 UTC