Hokuei: Master of Osaka Kabuki Prints

The ultimate publication on Hokuei, the master of Osaka ukiyo-e printmakers and one of the most intriguing artists ever in kabuki-actor prints.

Hokuei: Master of Osaka Kabuki Prints centers on one of the most intriguing artists in kabuki actor prints: Shunbaisai Hokuei (act. ca. 1828–36). A culminating, yet enigmatic, figure in Osaka ukiyo-e prints, Hokuei produced more masterworks than any other artist of his day in the Kyoto-Osaka (Kamigata) region. The prints in this richly illustrated publication are largely drawn from the John Fiorillo collection, considered the most extensive of Hokuei’s works.

The book presents a thoughtful and thorough overview of the artist’s life and career in the world of Kamigata print production. Also included is a section highlighting fifty-six meticulously researched and remarkably well-preserved prints. Through Hokuei’s prints, the world of kabuki comes alive in fascinating detail, while assessments of design and technical attributes bring into focus the achievements of Hokuei and Kamigata print designers of the period. Of particular importance for scholars and collectors is a fully illustrated and annotated catalogue raisonné of the artist’s to-date documented 270 prints, a number of which are designs unique to the Fiorillo collection.

Appendices introduce aspects of Hokuei’s prints, including summary data on print formats, figure types, deluxe printings, woodblock-printed books, and the artist’s students; signatures and seals; publishers; block-cutters and printers; kabuki theaters; and the making of Japanese prints. The depth and scope of information provided in Hokuei: Master of Osaka Kabuki Prints makes it a singular reference for scholars, collectors, and enthusiasts of Osaka prints, of the artist Hokuei, and of the world of kabuki.

About the Author:

John Fiorillo is an independent researcher and writer on traditional and modern Japanese prints, with a particular interest in Kamigata-e (“Osaka prints”) and Sōsaku Hanga (“Creative prints”). Over time, he came to especially love and admire the actor prints produced in Osaka, a genre often overlooked by collectors and scholars. Mr. Fiorillo has regularly published in the art journal Andon (Society for Japanese Art, Leiden), contributed to the Hotei Encyclopedia of Japanese Woodblock Prints (2005), and designed and written extensive articles for the websites “ViewingJapanesePrints.net" (since 1999) and “OsakaPrints.com" (since 2005). Mr. Fiorillo also serves as a member of the Andon editorial board.