Kwanu Destroying the Seven Armies of Gi (Wei) in a Great River Battle
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Source:
- Art of Japan
Description
Guan Yu (Japanese: Kwanu), the deified general of the Three Kingdoms period, is shown routing the seven armies of the Wei state in a great river battle, the floodwaters of the Han River he released becoming a weapon of mass destruction against the enemy forces. Kuniyoshi's treatment of large-scale battle scenes involving river flooding gave him scope to combine warrior heroics with his characteristic power in depicting water in violent motion. The subject draws from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which was as beloved in Edo Japan as in China.
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 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Kwanu Destroying the Seven Armies of Gi (Wei) in a Great River Battle was created by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (歌川国芳).
Kwanu Destroying the Seven Armies of Gi (Wei) in a Great River Battle depicts landscapes, rivers & lakes, and warriors.