Yang Lin (Kinhyoshi Yorin), 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
37.4 × 25.1 cm (14 3/4 × 9 7/8 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
32990
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant world of 19th-century Japanese ukiyo-e prints, Utagawa Kuniyoshi's *Yang Lin (Kinhyoshi Yorin)* from the series *One Hundred and Eight Heroes of the Popular Water Margin (Tsuzoku Suikoden goketsu hyakuhachinin no hitori)* stands out as a thrilling portrayal of heroism. Created around 1827–30, this color woodblock print on oban paper (37.4 × 25.1 cm) captures Yang Lin, a fierce warrior from the Chinese novel *Water Margin*—known in Japan as *Suikoden*. This epic tale of 108 rebel outlaws fighting corruption resonated deeply during Japan's Edo period, fueling a craze for warrior i...
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...