Onamushi no Mikoto Killing the Great Bird
1765
Medium
Color woodblock print; chuban yoko-e
Dimensions
23.2 × 30.8 cm (9 1/8 × 12 1/8 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
21104
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Onamushi is a legendary warrior and Shintô deity, seen here carrying out one of his most heroic acts, the defeat of the Great Bird (a gigantic eagle), on a cliff by the sea. This is a calendar print for the year 1765, and the numbers of the long months of the year are on the warrior’s leather girdle. Though the warrior and eagle are printed in several colors, the waves of the ocean on the right are blind-printed, or embossed, and they have no color.
About the Artist
Unknown
The artist designated as "Unknown" in our virtual museum's collection exemplifies a poignant chapter in art history: creators whose identities have faded into obscurity despite the enduring power of their work. With only one known artwork attributed to them in our holdings, this figure represents countless anonymous hands that shaped visual culture across centuries. Museums worldwide, including th...