Ma Lin (Tettekisen Barin), from the series "One Hundred and Eight Heroes of the Popular Water Margin (Tsuzoku Suikoden goketsu hyakuhachinin no hitori)"
- Series:
- One Hundred and Eight Heroes of the Popular Suikoden (print 67 of 108)
- Date:
- c. 1827/30
- Medium:
- Color woodblock print; oban
- Format:
- Oban
- Source:
- Art Institute of Chicago
Description
Ma Lin (Japanese: Tettekisen Barin), the "Sky-piercing Swallow," was among the 108 outlaws of the Water Margin who excelled in reconnaissance and surprise attack. This oban from Kuniyoshi's landmark Suikoden series (c. 1827-30) — the career-making sequence that established his reputation — shows Ma Lin in the characteristic full-figure, close-cropped format Kuniyoshi devised for the series. Each hero was rendered with individualized weaponry, tattoos, and costume, making the set prized both as individual portraits and as a complete gallery of the novel's cast.
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 Heroes & Warriors Prints
Saishin, from the series "Fashionable Women as the One Hundred and Eight Heroes of the Water Margin (Fuzoku onna Suikoden, ippyakuhachinin no uchi)"
c. 1828/30
Color woodblock print; surimono
Oteiroku, from the series "Fashionable Women as the One Hundred and Eight Heroes of the Water Margin (Fuzoku onna Suikoden, ippyakuhachinin no uchi)"
c. 1828/30
Color woodblock print; surimono
Rua Xiaoqi (Katsuenra Genshoshichi), from the series "One Hundred and Eight Heroes of the Popular Water Margin (Tsuzoku Suikoden goketsu hyakuhachinin no hitori)"
c. 1827/30
Color woodblock print; oban
Yang Zhi (Seimenju Yoshi), from the series "One Hundred and Eight Heroes of the Popular Water Margin (Tsuzoku Suikoden goketsu hyakuhachinin no hitori)"
c. 1827/30
Color woodblock print; oban
Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ma Lin (Tettekisen Barin), from the series "One Hundred and Eight Heroes of the Popular Water Margin (Tsuzoku Suikoden goketsu hyakuhachinin no hitori)" was created by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (歌川国芳) in c. 1827/30.
Yes — Ma Lin (Tettekisen Barin), from the series "One Hundred and Eight Heroes of the Popular Water Margin (Tsuzoku Suikoden goketsu hyakuhachinin no hitori)" is part of the One Hundred and Eight Heroes of the Popular Suikoden series (print 67 of 108) by Utagawa Kuniyoshi.
Ma Lin (Tettekisen Barin), from the series "One Hundred and Eight Heroes of the Popular Water Margin (Tsuzoku Suikoden goketsu hyakuhachinin no hitori)" depicts heroes & warriors, warriors, and suikoden (water margin).