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Sakata Kaidomaru Wrestling with a Carp in a Waterfall

Sakata Kaidomaru Wrestling with a Carp in a Waterfall

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Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Sakata Kaidomaru, the legendary warrior and retainer of Minamoto no Yorimitsu (948–1021), was born and raised near Mt. Ashigara by his mother, Princess Yaegiri. Kaidomaru demonstrated extraordinary strength from his earliest childhood, when he sumo wrestled with a bear and, as seen here, grappled with a giant carp under a waterfall. Yorimitsu, who witnessed these great feats of superhuman strength, ceremoniously enlisted him into his service. In this design, Kaidomaru is shown as a small boy with bulging muscles like an adult warrior who could easily subdue the oversized carp. The red-toned flesh and long wild hair are characteristic of popular depictions of the boy warrior.
Artist
Utagawa Kuniyoshi
(Japanese, 1798 - 1861)
Title
Sakata Kaidomaru Wrestling with a Carp in a Waterfall
Date
1830-1835
Medium
Color woodcut
Dimensions
373 x 259 mm Overall
Credit
Bequest of John H. Van Vleck
Accession No.
1980.2650
Classification
Prints
Geography
Japan

Related

Collection of Happer; Collection of Lindsey Russell; by 1917, collection of Lucy F. Brown (New York, NY); 1917, sold to Edward Burr Van Vleck (Madison, WI); 1943, passed through inheritance to Edward’s son, John H. Van Vleck (Madison, WI); 9 January 1980, bequeathed by John H. Van Vleck to the Elvehjem Museum of Art [now called Chazen Museum of Art]

  • Mueller, Laura. "Competition and Collaboration: Japanese Prints of the Utagawa School." Leiden, The Netherlands: Hotei Publishing, 2007. p. 128, no. 101
  • Osumi, Takeshige, ed. "Edward Burr Van Vleck Collection Ukiyo-e Masterpieces Exhibition." Tokyo: Bun You Associates, 1999.

  • Edward Burr Van Vleck Collection: Elvehjem Museum of Art, 10/13/1999–6/30/2000
  • Van Vleck Collection of Japanese Prints, The: Elvehjem Museum of Art, 10/7/1990–11/25/1990
  • Calm Lives, Exuberant Pleasures : Outstanding Japanese Woodblock Prints from the Van Vleck Collection: Elvehjem Museum of Art, 3/31/1984–4/15/1984

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