Kwanu Destroying the Seven Armies of Gi (Wei) in a Great River Battle

Medium:: Woodblock print
Format:: Oban
Source:: Art of Japan

Typical Price

Fine condition warrior print with strong impression: $1,000–$5,000
Standard warrior subject, good condition: $500–$2,000
Later impression or common subject: $200–$600

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

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)"

Miya, Kuwana, Yokkaichi, and Ishiyakushi, from the series "Famous Places on the Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido, Four Stations (Tokaido gojusan eki yonshuku meisho)"

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.

Mount Fuji in Japanese Woodblock Prints Meisho-e: Famous-Place Prints Japanese Ghost and Yōkai Prints

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.