Xie Zhen (Ryotoda Kaichin), from the series "One Hundred and Eight Heroes of the Popular Water Margin (Tsuzoku Suikoden goketsu hyakuhachinin no hitori)"
c. 1827/30
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban
Dimensions
38.8 × 27 cm (15 1/4 × 10 5/8 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
130711
Art Historical Context
This striking woodblock print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi, titled *Xie Zhen (Ryotoda Kaichin)* his renowned series *One Hundred and Eight Heroes of the Popular Water Margin (Tsuzoku Suikoden goketsu hyakuhachinin no hitori)*, dates to around 1827–30. Produced during Japan's Edo period, it captures one of the 108 outlaw heroes from the classic Chinese novel *Water Margin* (known as *Suikoden* in Japan), a tale of rebellion and camaraderie that captivated 19th-century audiences. Kuniyoshi, a master of the ukiyo-e tradition, specialized in dynamic *musha-e* (warrior prints), infusing his figures with fi...
About the Artist
Utagawa Kuniyoshi · 1797–1861
Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797–1861) was born in Edo to the silk-dyer Yanagiya Kichiyemon, originally bearing the childhood name Yoshisaburō. From a young age, he assisted in his family's pattern design work, which sharpened his innate mastery of color and textile motifs that would permeate his later prints. At around twelve years old, his prodigious drawing skills drew the attention of the renowned Utag...