"Woman Fighting with Naginata and others, from the series A Children's Handbook of String Pictures (Kyokumusubi osana tehon)"
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Source:
- Museum of Fine Arts Boston
- Image courtesy of
- Museum of Fine Arts Boston
From the Kyokumusubi osana tehon series — a children's guide to forming decorative string figures — this print takes the game's visual logic as a springboard for dramatic imagery. The central subject, a woman wielding a naginata (the long-handled halberd historically associated with female warrior training), suggests that the string configuration produces a martial silhouette. Kyosai was adept at depicting combat and theatrical heroism, and the woman's stance likely reflects the dynamic figure drawing he absorbed from both Kanô academic practice and kabuki imagery. The series format, aimed at younger audiences, would have used clear outlines and vivid color blocking, perhaps with instructional diagrams alongside the figured scene. The image participates in a broader cultural celebration of onna-bugeisha imagery while functioning as playful domestic entertainment.
Woodblock print
Woodblock print
Woodblock print
Woodblock print
"Woman Fighting with Naginata and others, from the series A Children's Handbook of String Pictures (Kyokumusubi osana tehon)" was created by Kawanabe Kyosai (河鍋暁斎).
"Woman Fighting with Naginata and others, from the series A Children's Handbook of String Pictures (Kyokumusubi osana tehon)" depicts daily life.
