Major General Ôdera Crossing the Sanzu River (Ôdera shôshô Sanzugawa o norikiri), and Triumphal Return: Joy of Parents and Children (Gaisen oyako no yorokobi), from the series Comical Art Exhibit of the Sino-Japanese War (Nissei sensô shôraku gakai)
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Source:
- Museum of Fine Arts Boston
- Image courtesy of
- Museum of Fine Arts Boston
Description
From the satirical series Comical Art Exhibit of the Sino-Japanese War (Nissei sensô shôraku gakai), this diptych-format print pairs two comic vignettes: Major General Ōdera miraculously crossing the Sanzu River—the Buddhist river of the dead—and a scene of joyful parental reunion at a triumphal return. The Sanzu River reference deploys Buddhist funerary imagery for comic effect, suggesting the general's survival against impossible odds. Kiyochika produced substantial quantities of satirical war imagery alongside his serious commemorative work, and these prints are marked by exaggerated poses, caricatured figures, and visual puns. The series title invoking an art exhibition as a framing conceit was itself a satirical gesture. Such prints circulated as inexpensive topical commentary, offering a counterweight to the heroic register of formal war prints.
More Prints by Kobayashi Kiyochika
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The Beach at Kaiganji in Sanuki Province (Sanuki Kaiganji no hama), from the series "Collection of Views of Japan II, Kansai Edition (Nihon fukei shu II Kansai hen)"
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Tea Kettle, section of a sheet from the series "Mirror of Stone Rubbings of Views of the Provinces" (Kohon meihitsu ishizuri kagami)
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Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
Major General Ôdera Crossing the Sanzu River (Ôdera shôshô Sanzugawa o norikiri), and Triumphal Return: Joy of Parents and Children (Gaisen oyako no yorokobi), from the series Comical Art Exhibit of the Sino-Japanese War (Nissei sensô shôraku gakai) was created by Kobayashi Kiyochika (小林清親).
Major General Ôdera Crossing the Sanzu River (Ôdera shôshô Sanzugawa o norikiri), and Triumphal Return: Joy of Parents and Children (Gaisen oyako no yorokobi), from the series Comical Art Exhibit of the Sino-Japanese War (Nissei sensô shôraku gakai) depicts landscapes.