An Unfortunate Tale, II
- Date:
- before 1870
- Medium:
- Format:
- Oban
- Source:
- Victoria and Albert Museum
Description
An early work with a darkly comic title suggesting a tale gone wrong, produced before 1870 when Kyosai was still refining the combination of dark humor and social commentary that would define his mature voice. The print belongs to a tradition of "unfortunate tale" imagery — stories of mishap, bad luck, and comic disaster that appealed to ordinary readers seeking humor that acknowledged life's unpredictability. Kyosai's version has an edge that elevates it above mere entertainment into something closer to social satire.
More Prints by Kawanabe Kyosai
Tenpôzan in Osaka: Viewing Children's Sumo (Naniwa Tenpôzan kodomo sumô shôran), from the series Scenes of Famous Places along the Tôkaidô Road (Tôkaidô meisho fûkei), also known as the Processional Tôkaidô (Gyôretsu Tôkaidô), here called Tôkaidô
1863
Woodblock print
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Original Museum Lithographic Exhibition Poster
from the series One Hundred Pictures by Kyôsai (Kyôsai hyakuzu)
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Gontazaka, from the series Scenes of Famous Places along the Tôkaidô Road (Tôkaidô meisho fûkei), also known as the Processional Tôkaidô (Gyôretsu Tôkaidô), here called Tôkaidô meisho no uchi
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Frequently Asked Questions
An Unfortunate Tale, II was created by Kawanabe Kyosai (河鍋暁斎) in before 1870.
An Unfortunate Tale, II depicts figures and daily life.