Sakata Kintoki Wrestling with a Tengu
1715-18
Medium
Hand-colored woodblock print; o-oban, tan-e
Dimensions
68.8 × 32.8 cm (26 3/4 × 13 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
19137
Art Historical Context
Behold the dynamic "Sakata Kintoki with a Tengu," hand-colored woodblock print Torii Kiyomasu, created around 1715-18. This o-oban sized work (a generous 68.8 × 32.8 cm) captures the legendary superhuman warrior Sakata Kintoki one of the Four Heavenly Kings Japanese folklore—in a fierce grapple with a Tengu, the mischievous mountain-dwelling demon with avian features. Kiyomasu I, a master of the Torii school, brings raw energy to the scene, blending heroism and the supernatural in true ukiyo-e spirit. As an early tan-e print ("red picture"), it showcases pioneering hand-coloring techniques on...
About the Artist
Torii Kiyomasu I
Torii Kiyomasu I was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist working in the early eighteenth century, closely associated with the Torii school, one of the most important lineages in the history of Japanese woodblock printmaking. The Torii school was founded by Torii Kiyonobu, and Kiyomasu I is believed to have been either his son or a close pupil — the precise family relationship remains a matter of scholarly d...