Information
Date : 1818 - 29
Size : O-ban
Impression : Very good
Condition : Very Good
Detail: -
This is Kuniyoshi’s “great” Suikoden series—the series that made him famous. These prints are the first single-sheet color prints on the Suikoden theme 1 and the first large series of warrior prints designed by any ukiyo-e artist. It is based on stories from the semi-historical Chinese novel, Suikoden. It tells of the adventures of a band of 108 rebels who sought refuge in the margins of Liangshan Marsh. These rebel warriors sought to protect the poor and downtrodden, very much like Robin Hood’s band.
In Kuniyoshi's portrait of Jonei, the hero has just given a show of his favorite weapon, although in this case, he holds a smooth lance rather than a book-bladed spear. In the background, two men in western-style clothing watch with admiration as the Ryozanpaku rebel cuts off the wings of two sparrows. The influence of Western art is likewise seen in the cloud formation and in the play of light and dark which is the best seen in the depiction of the two spectators, the trunk of the tree and the shadows on the ground.