A genre scene from Yoshida's India and Southeast Asia series (1930–1931), depicting street performers — one of his most distinctive subject choices in a body of work already exceptional for its range. India series prints command a 50–100% premium over typical Japanese landscapes, and figure-focused Indian subjects are among the rarest in his output.
In this striking 1932 [oban](/glossary/oban) print, Hiroshi Yoshida turns his traveler's eye to North Africa or South Asia, capturing street performers who coax cobras to sway before a rapt crowd. The composition balances tension and theater — the snakes rising sinuously while turbaned charmers command the scene with pipes and gestures. Yoshida's command of atmospheric color, honed through decades of plein-air oil painting and jizuri self-carving, brings the dusty heat and showmanship of this ancient street spectacle to life in exquisite woodblock detail.
1935
Color woodblock print; oban
1964
Acrylic paint and oil pastel with oiled charcoal and ink over an ink and graphite underdrawing on paper
1964
Color lithograph with relief block and hand coloring; edition 35/36
Woodblock print
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Snake Charmers (Hebizukai) (Hebizukai) was created by Hiroshi Yoshida (吉田博) in 1932.
Snake Charmers (Hebizukai) uses Bokashi, Nishiki-e, and Moku-hanga, on color woodblock print; oban.
Snake Charmers (Hebizukai) was published by Yoshida Studio (1932).
Snake Charmers (Hebizukai) depicts animals.
Snake Charmers (Hebizukai) measures 40.3 × 28.6 cm (Oban format).
