Hanga
Water Dragon Chronicle by Kajita Hanko — Japanese Woodblock print

Water Dragon Chronicle

by Kajita Hanko

Meiji/Taishō PrintsShin-hanga
MythologyAnimals
Medium:
Woodblock print
Format:
Oban
Source:
robynbuntin

Description

Water Dragon Chronicle — a subject drawn from mythology and legend, depicting the great water dragon (suiryu or ryu) of Japanese and Chinese cosmological tradition. The dragon associated with water was believed to control rain, rivers, and the sea, and its depiction in woodblock print required the artist to render a being of mythological power through the medium's capacity for dynamic line and bold color. Hanko's combination of Mythology and Animals tags suggests a treatment that emphasizes both the creature's supernatural status and its animal physicality.

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Welcome (Kangei), frontispiece illustration from the literary magazine Bungei kurabu 10, no. 10 by Kajita Hanko

Welcome (Kangei), frontispiece illustration from the literary magazine Bungei kurabu 10, no. 10

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More Mythology Prints

Shamyris, Shôwa period, dated 1965? by Hideo Hagiwara

Shamyris, Shôwa period, dated 1965?

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Arugori; Koronbusu no tamago (Allegory: Columbus's Egg) / Ichimoku-shu (First Thursday Collection, Vol 4) by Onchi Koshiro

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Midas, Shôwa period, dated 1965? by Hideo Hagiwara

Midas, Shôwa period, dated 1965?

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Windy Deity, Shôwa period, dated 1966 by Kihei Sasajima

Windy Deity, Shôwa period, dated 1966

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Featured in Collections

Curated cross-cuts that include this print.

Shin-Hanga: Japan's Twentieth-Century Print RevivalJapanese Ghost and Yōkai Prints

Frequently Asked Questions

Water Dragon Chronicle was created by Kajita Hanko (梶田半古).

Water Dragon Chronicle depicts mythology and animals.