from the series One Hundred Pictures by Kyôsai (Kyôsai hyakuzu)

A woodblock print from the Kyôsai hyakuzu series, in which Kawanabe Kyosai distilled decades of study under the Kanô master Maemura Tôwa and the ukiyo-e printmaker Utagawa Kuniyoshi into compositions of concentrated graphic power. This print may depict a classical Chinese or Japanese historical figure — warrior, scholar, or mythological hero — rendered with the solid ink outlines and minimal supplementary color typical of the series. Kyosai's line work in these prints oscillates between precise, controlled strokes for garments and wild, impulsive marks for facial expression and hair. Printed in oban format on washi, the composition demonstrates the baren's capacity to register subtle tonal variation across large ink passages, producing depth without reliance on multiple color blocks.