The Kamigata region of Osaka and Kyoto was never much of a center for ukiyo-e printmaking. But between 1828 and 1836, an artist known as Shunbaisai Hokuei began to gain notoriety.
He had aesthetic flair, buzzed with enthusiasm and adored kabuki — and during his short career, he designed numerous woodcuts featuring its stars and stories. His dominance was such that just under half of all theater prints published in Osaka during his years of activity bear his name.
And yet, we know almost nothing about Hokuei. The circumstances of his birth, the environment of his youth, the nature of his apprenticeship and the conditions of his death all remain unknown. Even his real name is a mystery, “Shunbaisai Hokuei” being a pseudonym, one of the four he used to sign his work.
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