#52, Tanmeijiro Genshogo fighting General Ko underwater
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Source:
- Art of Japan
Description
Tanmeijiro Genshogo — the Water Margin hero Ruan the Seventh — was famed for his ability to fight underwater, and this print depicts him in his characteristic element: submerged in a river or lake, grappling with an enemy general beneath the surface. Kuniyoshi's rendering of underwater combat was among his most inventive compositional challenges, requiring him to convey aquatic space through swirling current lines and distorted light. The scene of Genshogo choking an adversary while both are submerged would have been one of his most visually startling designs.
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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Frequently Asked Questions
#52, Tanmeijiro Genshogo fighting General Ko underwater was created by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (歌川国芳).
#52, Tanmeijiro Genshogo fighting General Ko underwater depicts figures, rivers & lakes, and warriors.