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Minamoto no Raiko Slaying the Monster Kidomaru

Minamoto no Raiko Slaying the Monster Kidomaru

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Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Minamoto no Yorimitsu was one of the most celebrated warriors in Japanese legend. His four retainers—as labeled on this print—include Watanabe no Tsuna, Sakata no Kintoki, Usui no Sadamitsu, and Urabe no Suetake. They became known as the Four Heavenly Kings. Together with Yorimitsu they fought to rid medieval Japan of demons and supernatural spirits that terrorized the ancient capital of Kyoto and its environs. All five warriors are needed to subdue and defeat the supernatural demon Kidomaru, depicted with overexaggerated features that include a grotesque face, purple skin, and wild black hair. Kuniyoshi’s design is organized in a distinctive diagonal pattern from the bottom of the left panel to the top right.
Artist
Utagawa Kuniyoshi
(Japanese, 1798 - 1861)
Title
Minamoto no Raiko Slaying the Monster Kidomaru
Date
1851-1852
Medium
Color woodcut
Dimensions
a: 374 x 256 mm; b: 369 x 256 mm; c: 367 x 257 mm Overall
Credit
John H. Van Vleck Endowment Fund purchase
Accession No.
2003.19a-c
Classification
Prints
Geography
Japan

Related

  • Mueller, Laura. "Competition and Collaboration: Japanese Prints of the Utagawa School." Leiden, The Netherlands: Hotei Publishing, 2007. p. 137, no. 115

  • Utagawa: Masters of the Japanese Print, 1770-1900 : Chazen Museum of Art, 3/21/2008–6/15/2008

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