This is an image of a color woodblock print by the ukiyo-e artist
Utagawa KUNIYOSHI about a character Chen Da (Chokanko Chintatsu) from the
popularized series “One Hundred and Eight Heroes of the Water Margin”. It was
originally the left sheet of a first state triptych (oban triptych), together
with Kyumonryô Shishin and Hakkwaja Yôshun and Jinkigunshi Shubu. The image I
have posted here is actually a later edition of this left sheet because it has
the seal of the publisher Iba-ya Sensaburô on the lower portion of the print.
In 1827, Kuniyoshi was asked to produce a series of woodblock prints illustrating
the 108 heroes of The Water Margin. The 14th-century novel The Water Margin,
which is known as Suikoden in Japanese, is one of the Four Great Classical
Novels of Chinese literature. It is this ukiyo-e series called “One Hundred and
Eight Heroes of the Water Margin” or “Tsūzoku Suikoden gōketsu
ippyakuhachijūnin no hitori” that made Utagawa Kuniyoshi famous and increased
the popularity of the tales of Water Margin heroes.
Pubic taste in ukiyo-e at Kuniyoshi’s time gradually shifted from the
peaceful views of a scenic Japan to the fierce and fantastical one. Kuniyoshi
embraced this change and used his imagination to depict fierce warriors and
heroes so popularly that people asked him to design tattoos.
In this print,
Chintatsu is in full armor and holding a spear. He is falling from the black
horse. His face seems quite fierce and monster-like. The facial expression and
the pose invoke an effective sense of exciting and dynamic action intensity. He
used incredibly rich colors and textile patterns. I was simply amazed by
various layers of colors and the curve of the horse tail hair. Popped eyes,
exposed teeth, and even the hairs on the hero’s hands can be seen quite
clearly, indicating the hero’s fierceness. The shadows on the background trees
are also very vivid, which is rarely seen in the prints by other ukiyo-e
artists in the paper room we went into in Berman Museum.
No comments:
Post a Comment