#13, Oniwaka Maru (Benkei as a boy) Fighting with the Monks at the Shoshazan
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Source:
- Art of Japan
Description
Oniwaka Maru — the childhood name of the monk-warrior Musashibo Benkei — is shown as a boy brawling with the monks of Shoshazan temple in episode thirteen of a warrior series. Even at an early age, the legendary Benkei was said to be of extraordinary size and strength, and Kuniyoshi renders the young fighter with the same energy he brought to adult warriors, scaling the surrounding monks to emphasize Benkei's precocious ferocity. The subject was popular because it portrayed the origins of one of Japan's most beloved legendary figures.
More Prints by Utagawa Kuniyoshi
Woman as the Hero Taisō in Palanquin Holding a Pipe
c. 1830
Woodblock print (surimono), ink and color on paper
Yan Qing (Roshi Ensei), from the series "One Hundred and Eight Heroes of the Popular Water Margin (Tsuzoku Suikoden goketsu hyakuhachinin no hitori)"
Poem by Abe no Nakamaro, from an untitled series of One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets
Hu Sanniang (Ko Sanjo Ichijosei), from the series "One Hundred and Eight Heroes of the Popular Water Margin (Tsuzoku Suikoden goketsu hyakuhachinin no hitori)"
More Warriors Prints
Benkei Bridge
Woodblock print
Saishin, from the series "Fashionable Women as the One Hundred and Eight Heroes of the Water Margin (Fuzoku onna Suikoden, ippyakuhachinin no uchi)"
c. 1828/30
Color woodblock print; surimono
Herakles, Shôwa period, dated 1965?
Woodblock print
Chüshingura in Twelve Months
Woodblock print
Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
#13, Oniwaka Maru (Benkei as a boy) Fighting with the Monks at the Shoshazan was created by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (歌川国芳).
#13, Oniwaka Maru (Benkei as a boy) Fighting with the Monks at the Shoshazan depicts warriors, children, and daily life.