Akira Kurosaki is a well-known Japanese artist, designer and teacher who has lived and worked in Kyoto most of his life. He won a major prized for his large, brilliantly colored prints in the early 1970s, and this gave him the means to begin his world travels. When he travels, he always carries with him some woodblocks, his special printing tools and colors. In many cities he has demonstrated the art of sosaku-hanga, or creative woodblock printmaking that the Japanese started about fifty years ago.
He visited Seattle in 1974 and returned several times to teach and also to study new techniques such as video art and mixed-media. One one of these visits, a video camera was set up in the room where he demonstrated printing. Other topics covered are his method for transferring a design to a woodblock and the printing tool called baren.
Other videos featuring Kurosaki may be available. Japanese National Television produced a 13-part series with Kurosaki in 1992, but it has not been translated.
This videotape is a co-production by Bill Ritchie and UW IMS-TV. For further information or a printed transcript, contact Ritchie's Video, 500 Aloha #105, Seattle WA 98109. Telephone (206) 285-0658. All Rights Reserved.
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