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

Art Historical Context

**Chisho, from the "Pictures of No Perform (Nogaku Zue)"** Tsukioka Kôgyo (1869–1927), a master of late Meiji-era woodblock, created this striking color woodblock print in 1898 as part of his renowned *Nogaku Zue* series. Depicting a scene from the classic Noh *Chisho*, the artwork captures the ethereal drama of this traditional Japanese theater form, masked performers embody ghosts, warriors, and deities. Measuring about 25.2 × 37.4 cm, it exemplifies Kôgyo's dedication to preserving Noh's visual splendor amid Japan's rapid modernization during the Meiji period (1868–1912). Noh theater, ref...

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...