Ogata Shūma Hiroyuki from the series One of the Eight Hundred Heroes of the Water Margin of Japan (Honchō Suikoden gōketsu happyakunin no hitori) 「尾形周馬寛行」　『本朝水滸伝剛勇八百人一個』

Object Details

• Artist

  Utagawa Kuniyoshi 歌川国芳 (1798-1861)

• Publisher

  Kagaya Kichiemon (Seiseido) 加賀屋吉右衛門 (active ca. 1815-1850)

• Label

  Following the great success of his "popular" series based on the one hundred eight heroes of the Chinese narrative, The Water Margin, Kuniyoshi embarked on a series titled Eight Hundred Heroes of a Japanese Water Margin, All Told. The theme was so popular that he designed eleven series on various Water Margin themes during his lifetime, a reflection of the popularity of the stories themselves and of his arresting images. Here the hero popularly known as Jiraiya, who possessed supernatural powers and could control frogs and snails, kills a snake because it was terrorizing his friends the frogs. He uses a large firearm aimed at the skull of the snake who coils menacingly toward the viewer as if to emerge from the picture. Stories of Jiraiya, a popular character in kabuki, were so well known that they became the basis for a game similar to hammer, paper, and scissors, where on the count of three, players formed their hands into snake, frog, or snail. According to the rules of the game, the snake eats the frog, the frog eats the snail, and the snail poisons the snake.

• Collection

  National Museum of Asian Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Masters of Mercy: Buddha's Amazing Disciples (March 10 to July 8, 2012)

  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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• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1700s, 1710s, 1720s, 1770s, 1780s, 1790s, 1730s, 1740s, 1750s, 1760s, 1800s, 1810s, 1820s, 1830s, 1610s, 1650s, 1640s, 1630s, 1620s, 1690s, 1840s, 1680s, 1850s, 1670s, 1860s, 1660s

• Name

  Kagaya, Kichiemon, Utagawa, Kuniyoshi

• Place

  Japan

• Topic

  Warrior, Art, Edo period, Japan, (1600 - 1868), Japanese Art, Anne van Biema collection, Heroes, Ukiyo-e, Snakes

• Culture

  Japanese

• Object Type

  Prints