Tsuchigumo - Earth Spider
- Date:
- Not set
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Publisher:
- Watanabe Shozaburo
- Edition:
- Published by Watanabe Shozaburo
- Source:
- Japanese Art Open Database
Kotondo is best known for bijin-ga, but his complete oeuvre includes actor prints and other figure subjects. His small corpus of only 21 designs ensures that all authenticated period impressions carry collector interest and scarcity premiums.
Tsuchigumo — the Earth Spider — is a figure from Japanese legend: a giant spider-demon associated with the mountains of Yamato province, defeated by the legendary warrior Minamoto no Raiko. The subject appeared in both Noh and kabuki as a dramatic supernatural encounter, and Kotondo's print likely depicts a theatrical version of this confrontation. The supernatural subject is unusual within his predominantly bijin-ga oeuvre, suggesting a commission or a personal interest in the dramatic possibilities of kabuki's demon-fighting plays.
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Tsuchigumo - Earth Spider was created by Torii Kotondo (鳥居言人) in Not set.
Tsuchigumo - Earth Spider was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (Not set).
Tsuchigumo - Earth Spider depicts insects.
