{"product_id":"kuniyoshi-sagi-no-numa-heikuro-鷺沼平九郎-bare-handedly-fighting-with-a-giant-snake-deep-in-the-mountains","title":"Kuniyoshi: Sagino Heikuro (鷺沼平九郎）Bare-handedly Fighting with a Giant Snake deep in the Mountains","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eArtist:\u003c\/strong\u003e Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798-1861)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTitle:\u003c\/strong\u003e Saginoike Heikuro Battling the Giant Snake まき柱\u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\"\u003e  \u003c\/span\u003eMaki-bashira (Cypress Pillar, Chapter 31) Maki-bashira (まき柱) \u003cstrong\u003eSeries:\u003c\/strong\u003e Japanese and Chinese comparisons for the Chapters of Genji: 和漢准源氏 (Wakan nazorae Genji) \u003cstrong\u003eDate:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1855, 7th month\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eSagi no ike Heikuro has taken the matter of a giant snake into his own hands, quite literally. We see the look of concentration has he pries open the serpent’s\u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\"\u003e  \u003c\/span\u003eenormous fanged jaws using only the strength of his arms. The eyes of the serpent are blood-red, and the forked tongue features an added pigment to give the look of real blood. This series is known for its western touches, but in this design we see it mainly in some subtle chiaroscuro on the figure of the hero. T\u003cimg\u003ehe serpent has coiled itself around Heikuro’s torso and thigh, and the rest of its tremendous length is shown wrapped around the bough of a pine tree. Heikuro has dropped the wood axe he was carrying to dispatch the monster. Kuniyoshi has revisited this story a number of times, and an earlier work from 1830 shows a significantly different style. Here we see Kuniyoshi’s excellent rendering of hands, along with his talent at capturing the visage at an unusual angle. Beautifully printed, with extensive mica in the sky as well as in the dark stripes of the snake.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eRegarding this series, Kuniyoshi interpreted each of the fifty-four Chapters of the Tale of Genji by associating them with famous figures from Japanese and Chinese history, legends\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e,\u003c\/span\u003e and folktales.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThough it is not known if he did the complete chapters,\u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\"\u003e  \u003c\/span\u003esome are known, such as “Sekiya” (represented by Guan Yuz, the celebrated Chinese general of the Three Kingdoms period.), “Otome” (associated with the legend of Lady Huayang, a fox-spirit figure from Chinese lore), and “Yomogi-u “(represented by Momotaro, the Japanese folk hero.)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e“Nazorae” 準 means more of an analogy, a re-interpretation or a comparison, rather than directly substituting Genji characters with specific individuals. Kuniyoshi translated the themes, emotions or dramatic situations of each chapter into stories involving other well-known historical and legendary figures in a way similar to “Mitate”, namely parody pictures or allusive pictures, in which classical literary subjects were re-imagined through different characters and settings.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e“Makibashira” (真木柱 The Cypress Pillars) is Chapter thirty-one of the Tale of Genji, which centers on the marriage of Tamakazura and Higekuro. It also tells of Higekuro’s first wife, who had left his household and returned to her family home, taking her daughter, Makibashira, with her. Here Kuniyoshi did not refer to the story but played literally with two words: “maki” and “bashira”. “Maki” 巻き meaning coil around, “bashira\/hashira” 柱 pillar, namely with this scene of Heikurô fighting with a monster snake, coiling around a pine tree.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eA strong man, Heikurô opens up the mouth of the snake. As for the name of a brave man, “Sagi-no-numa 鷺沼”（heron swamp)\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e,\u003c\/span\u003e comes from the legendary known Sagi-no-ike 鷺池”(heron pond), who appeared as a strong man of Kusunoki Masayuki.*\u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\"\u003e  \u003c\/span\u003eKuniyoshi changed from “pond” 池 to “swamp” 沼.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eSagi-no-ike Heikurô appeared some other prints of Kuniyoshi, who seemed to like him as subject;\u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\"\u003e  \u003c\/span\u003enamely One of the Eight Hundred Heroes of the Japanese Suikoden “(本朝水滸伝剛勇八百人一個); “Koshikawa from the Series of the Sixty-nine Stations of the Kisokaidô” (木曽街道六十九次越川)\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e*Book « Kusunoki Masayuki senkô zu-e“「楠正行戦功図会」\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eWith thanks to Michiko Sato-Grube for her research.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition:\u003c\/strong\u003e Excellent impression , color and condition. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e ôban \u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e Ise Yoshi\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLiterature:\u003c\/strong\u003e “Kuniyoshi: The Warrior Prints” by BW Robinson, series S88. See the British Museum for the Miller example, which has been strongly trimmed. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSignature:\u003c\/strong\u003e Ichiyûsai Kuniyoshi ga\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Utagawa Kuniyoshi","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42466562146386,"sku":"KUY645","price":4600.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0079\/3388\/6546\/files\/KUY645.jpg?v=1782861083","url":"https:\/\/egenolfgallery.com\/products\/kuniyoshi-sagi-no-numa-heikuro-%e9%b7%ba%e6%b2%bc%e5%b9%b3%e4%b9%9d%e9%83%8e-bare-handedly-fighting-with-a-giant-snake-deep-in-the-mountains","provider":"Egenolf Gallery Japanese Prints","version":"1.0","type":"link"}