Journey to the West
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Source:
- Robyn Buntin of Honolulu
- Image courtesy of
- Robyn Buntin of Honolulu
Description
This woodblock print illustrates a scene from Saiyūki (Journey to the West), the Chinese novel by Wu Cheng'en that follows the monk Xuanzang (rendered in Japanese as Genjō Sanzō) and his supernatural companions — the Monkey King Son Goku, the pig demon Zhu Bajie (Chohakkai), and the river monk Sha Wujing (Sagojō) — on a pilgrimage to retrieve Buddhist scriptures. The Saiyūki was widely adapted in Edo and Meiji Japan, and Kyosai produced multiple prints illustrating its fantastic characters and episodes. His training in Kanō-school figural drawing and his experience with caricature and supernatural subjects made him well suited to the story's mixture of martial action, comic incident, and religious allegory. The composition likely depicts one of the party's encounters with demons or spirits, rendered with the fluid line and dynamic spatial organization that characterize Kyosai's narrative work. This print is one of several from a multi-sheet series on the subject.
More Prints by Kawanabe Kyosai
from the series One Hundred Pictures by Kyôsai (Kyôsai hyakuzu)
Woodblock print
Old Picture of the Rashômon Gate (Rashômon no ko zu), 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 tsuzuki
Woodblock print
Tsukishimadera Temple in Hyôgo (Hyôgo Tsukishimadera), 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
Woodblock print
from the series One Hundred Pictures by Kyôsai (Kyôsai hyakuzu)
Woodblock print
More Travel Scenes Prints
Rain Shower at Shо̄no, from the series Fifty-three Stations of the Tо̄kaidо̄ (Tо̄kaidо̄ gojusan tsugi)
1962
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Lake Kugushi in Wakasa Province (Wakasa Kugushiko), from the series Souvenirs of Travel I (Tabi miyage dai isshu)"
Wakasa Kugushiko
1920
Color woodblock print; oban
Pacific Ocean, Awa Province (Boshu Taikai), from the series "Souvenirs of Travel, Third Series (Tabi miyage dai sanshu)"
Boshu Taikai
1925
Color woodblock print; oban
Gosai Canal in Niigata (Niigata Gosaibori), from the series "Souvenirs of Travel, Second Series (Tabi miyage dai nishu)"
Niigata Gosaibori
1921
Color woodblock print; oban
Frequently Asked Questions
Journey to the West was created by Kawanabe Kyosai (河鍋暁斎).
Journey to the West depicts travel scenes.