![Gen Shogo [Ruan Xiaowu]; Five-sheet print of Collecting Brine, no. 5 by Utagawa Kuniyoshi — Japanese Woodblock print (surimono), ink and color on paper, c. 1828–30](https://1.api.artsmia.org/800/82218.jpg)
Gen Shogo [Ruan Xiaowu]; Five-sheet print of Collecting Brine, no. 5
- Date:
- c. 1828–30
- Medium:
- Woodblock print (surimono), ink and color on paper
- Format:
- Oban
- Dimensions:
- 21 × 18.1 cm
- Source:
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
Description
This surimono depicts Gen Shogo (Ruan Xiaowu of the Water Margin) as the fifth sheet of a five-part composition showing the collective labor of salt production — brine collection, evaporation, and processing. The connection between this formidable outlaw hero and the mundane work of salt-making is a mitate (witty comparison), equating the hero's symbolic domain with a specific physical labor. Kuniyoshi's surimono series often employed such associative layering, producing objects prized as much for their conceptual wit as their visual beauty.
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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Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
Gen Shogo [Ruan Xiaowu]; Five-sheet print of Collecting Brine, no. 5 was created by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (歌川国芳) in c. 1828–30.
Gen Shogo [Ruan Xiaowu]; Five-sheet print of Collecting Brine, no. 5 depicts figures, warriors, and daily life.
Gen Shogo [Ruan Xiaowu]; Five-sheet print of Collecting Brine, no. 5 measures 21 × 18.1 cm (Oban format).