Preparatory drawing for a fan with a scene from the Tale of Shuten Doji

Object Details

• Artist

  Kawanabe Kyosai 河鍋暁斎 (1831-1889)

• Label

  The Tale of Shuten Doji has long been popular in Japan; the earliest-known illustrated version of this tale dates to the fourteenth century. Minamoto no Yorimitsu (948-1021), a historical figure of great martial prowess, was transformed in popular literature into a legendary hero who rescued the realm from demonic forces. Shuten Doji, a monster who lived southwest of Kyoto, terrorized the population, dining on locals and holding young maidens captive. With divine assistance and various means of subterfuge, Yorimitsu beheaded the ogre and returned the region to tranquility.

  Kyosai's interest in the narrative format and his careful connoisseurship of ancient works of art are evident in his paintings and sketchbooks. Riddled with macabre humor and images of the grotesque, his own paintings catered to the tastes of late Edo (1615-1868) and early Meiji (1868-1912) audiences. Here, Kyosai rendered elements of the tale in fan format, perhaps for later application to folding screens.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  The Tale of Shuten Doji (March 21 to September 20, 2009)

  Telling Tales in Japanese Art (November 23, 1996 to August 14, 1997)

• Origin

  Japan

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Drawing

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

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• Date

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• Name

  Kawanabe, Kyosai

• Place

  Japan

• Topic

  Tale of Shuten Doji, Fans, Art, Shuten Doji, Edo period, Japan, (1600 - 1868), Japanese Art

• Culture

  Japanese

• Object Type

  Drawings