Torii Kiyomasu I (Japanese, active c. 1704–18)
Sakata Kintoki Wrestling with a Tengu
INV-1913
Torii Kiyomasu I (Japanese, active c. 1704–18)1715-18
Sakata Kintoki Wrestling with a Tengu
Torii Kiyomasu I (Japanese, active c. 1704–18) →Japanese (culture or style)woodblock printprint
Date
1715-18
Medium
Hand-colored woodblock print; o-oban, tan-e
Dimensions
68.8 × 32.8 cm (26 3/4 × 13 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Clarence Buckingham Collection
The man depicted here is Kintoki, a hero from Japanese folklore famous for engaging supernatural beings in battle. His birth name was Kintarō, and he had legendary strength even while still a boy. Here he is shown wrestling with a tengu, a type of mythical birdman said to live on Mount Kurama, north of Kyoto. The hand coloring is primarily red (tan), derived from red lead, and green (roku), made from malachite, a scheme that was popular before multicolored printing was introduced. Despite the limited palette, the pigment was skillfully applied in a variety of saturations so that the thicker red could represent the tengu’s supernatural skin while the thinner red conveys Kintoki’s flushed face.
Also notable
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Utagawa Hiroshige 歌川 広重 Japanese, 1797-1858
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Utagawa Hiroshige 歌川 広重 Japanese, 1797-1858
