Yama Uba Watching a Young Kintoki Play with his Mountain Friends

Medium:: Woodblock print
Format:: Oban
Source:: Art of Japan

Typical Price

Fine condition print with vibrant colors: $300–$1,000
Good condition standard print: $100–$400
Common subject or faded impression: $30–$150

Description

A print depicting Yama-Uba — the mountain witch of Japanese folklore who raised the legendary warrior boy Kintoki (Kintaro) — watching as the young Kintoki plays with his animal companions in the mountains. The Yama-Uba and Kintoki story was among the most beloved in Japanese popular culture: the fearsome supernatural woman who showed unexpected maternal tenderness to the superhuman boy, and the boy's extraordinary physical strength that led him to wrestle bears and befriend wild animals. Chikanobu renders this folkloric scene with the warm humanity he brought to all his supernatural and legendary subjects.

More Prints by Toyohara Chikanobu

Resembling a Branch (Eda ni utsusu), from the series The Appearance of Upper-Class Women of the Edo Period (Tokugawa jidai kifujin no sugata) -- Woman with a Doll

Meiji period, dated October 10, 1896

Woodblock print in "ōban" format; ink and color on paper

The Fall of Jinzhou

Woodblock print

Dance Party: Enjoying Cherry Blossom Viewing at Ueno

Woodblock print

Kagoshima senki

Woodblock print

More Landscapes Prints

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

Autumn Maple Leaves at Takao, from the album Eight Views of Kyoto (Kyôto hakkei)

Woodblock print

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)"

1934

Color woodblock print; oban

Tea Kettle, section of a sheet from the series "Mirror of Stone Rubbings of Views of the Provinces" (Kohon meihitsu ishizuri kagami)

n.d.

Woodblock print; ishizuri-e, section of harimaze sheet

Featured in Collections

Curated cross-cuts that include this print.

Mount Fuji in Japanese Woodblock Prints Meisho-e: Famous-Place Prints

Frequently Asked Questions

Yama Uba Watching a Young Kintoki Play with his Mountain Friends was created by Toyohara Chikanobu (豊原周延).

Yama Uba Watching a Young Kintoki Play with his Mountain Friends depicts landscapes and mountains.