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

A print from the Kyôsai hyakuzu series, in which Kawanabe Kyosai assembled one hundred compositions spanning the full breadth of his imaginative vocabulary. This entry likely depicts a supernatural or mythological subject — possibly a tengu, kappa, or oni rendered in Kyosai's characteristic style, which fused Kanô school brushwork discipline with the popular energy of [ukiyo-e](/glossary/ukiyo-e). The series demonstrates Kyosai's command of negative space: figures emerge from minimal backgrounds, allowing the eye to focus on gestural line quality and expressive posture. Printed on [washi](/glossary/washi), the composition uses a restrained [nishiki-e](/glossary/nishiki-e) palette with ink-dominant passages that recall Kyosai's monochrome hanging scroll paintings in their tonal range and confidence of line.