Chokanko Chintatsu 跳澗虎陳達 (Chen Da) / Tsuzoku Suikoden goketsu hyakuhachinin no hitori 通俗水滸傳濠傑百八人一個 (One of the 108 Heroes of the Popular Water Margin)
by Chen Long
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Source:
- British Museum
- Image courtesy of
- British Museum
Description
This print depicts Chen Da (陳達), nicknamed Chokanko — "Tiger Leaping the Ravine" (跳澗虎) — one of the 108 outlaw heroes from the classical Chinese novel Shuihu Zhuan (Water Margin). The full title references the Tsuzoku Suikoden series, a tradition of Japanese [musha-e](/glossary/musha-e) (warrior prints) representing individual Suikoden heroes in dynamic poses with identifying attributes and bold, highly saturated color. Chen Da is typically rendered as a powerful figure in martial stance, his distinctive features and weapons marking him within the iconographic system of the series. [Nishiki-e](/glossary/nishiki-e) printing conventions — multiple woodblocks for distinct color zones, strong outline blocks — characterize works in this genre. The series format encouraged compositional variation across the full set of 108 heroes.
