Adachi, from the series "Pictures of No Performances (Nogaku Zue)"

Art Historical Context

Step into the graceful world of Japanese Noh theater with *Adachi*, a stunning color woodblock print by Tsukioka Kôgyo from his renowned series *Pictures of No Performances (Nogaku Z)*, created in 1898. Kôgyo, a master of the Meiji-erakiyo-e tradition, captured the ethereal essence of Noh—one of Japan's oldest dramatic arts, dating back to the th century. This print depicts a scene from the Noh play *Adachi showcasing a masked actor in flowing robes, frozen in a dramatic pose that embodies the genre's stylized elegance and spiritual depth. Printed on a modest sheet measuring about 25.2 × 37.4...

About the Artist

Tsukioka Kôgyo · 1869–1927

Tsukioka Kōgyo (1869–1927), born Hanyū Bennosuke in Tokyo's bustling Nihonbashi district as the second son of an innkeeper family, navigated a path from humble origins to mastery in Japanese printmaking. After his father's early death, he was raised by his mother's Sakamaki family and apprenticed in pottery painting under his uncle, a ceramics exporter in Yokohama. He briefly attended the Tokyo Sc...