19 Generals
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Source:
- Art Gallery of Greater Victoria
Description
This print groups nineteen generals — a compositionally ambitious undertaking requiring the integration of many distinct figures in a single coherent design. Kuniyoshi periodically produced such multi-figure warrior prints, either as panoramic battle scenes or formal galleries, and each figure would have been identifiable to informed viewers by crest, weapon, or physiognomy. The subject likely draws from a specific historical event, military chronicle, or kabuki dramatization of a celebrated battle.
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)"
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Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
19 Generals was created by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (歌川国芳).
19 Generals depicts figures, warriors, and portraits.