Ōtani Furuinosuke from the series One of the Eight Hundred Heroes of the Water Margin of Japan (Honchō Suikoden gōketsu happyakunin no hitori) 「大谷古猪之助」 『本朝水滸伝剛勇八百人一個』

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At A Glance

  • Period

    ca. 1845
  • Geography

    Japan
  • Material

    Ink and color on paper
  • Dimension

    H x W (overall): 38.3 x 26.5 cm (15 1/16 x 10 7/16 in)
  • Accession Number

    S2004.3.157
  • EDAN ID

    edanmdm:fsg_S2004.3.157

Object Details

  • Artist

    Utagawa Kuniyoshi 歌川国芳 (1798-1861)
  • Publisher

    Ibaya Senzaburo 伊場屋仙三郎 (active ca. 1845-1847)
  • Label

    Young boy heroes with exceptional strength are featured in Japanese legend and among the heroes of Kuniyoshi's famous series based on the Chinese novel The Water Margin. The hero shown here, Otani Koinosuke, lost his father and had to care for his aged mother on his own. He had extraordinary strength and became a woodcutter when he grew older. When he was fifteen, he captured a wild boar that hunters could not bring down with their arrows, and used his bare hands to crush its skull. Kuniyoshi employs the swirling composition seen here in many of his images of warriors and heroes.
  • Collection

    National Museum of Asian Art Collection
  • Exhibition History

    Masterful Illusions: Japanese Prints from the Anne van Biema Collection (September 15, 2002 to January 9, 2003)
  • Origin

    Japan
  • Credit Line

    The Anne van Biema Collection
  • Type

    Print
  • Restrictions and Rights

    Usage Conditions Apply

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