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

This print from the Kyôsai hyakuzu participates in the comic-grotesque current that distinguishes the series from more decorous Meiji-era print suites. Kyosai's training under Kuniyoshi, who popularized images of dancing skeletons and carousing demons, left a visible mark on his approach to humor — physical, irreverent, often scatological or macabre. This sheet may depict a tanuki inflating its scrotum in the manner of classical yōkai imagery, or a band of oni engaged in some domestic or competitive activity, a tradition Kyosai revitalized in numerous paintings and prints. The woodblock cutting would preserve the loose, spontaneous character of the underlying brushwork, conveying the impression of a rapid sketch elevated to printed form. Color is likely applied with economy — a few strategic blocks rather than a full nishiki-e palette — allowing the key block line to carry most of the expressive weight. The humor is specific and knowledgeable, not generically comic.