Moritsuna Holding a Knife in his Mouth and Strangling the Fisherman Todayu
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Source:
- Art of Japan
Description
The fisherman Todayu becomes the victim in one of Kuniyoshi's most viscerally intense compositions: Moritsuna holds a knife clenched between his teeth while both hands strangle the man, the knife-in-mouth position allowing his arms full force for the killing grip. The pose — simultaneously grotesque and technically fascinating — demonstrates Kuniyoshi's interest in extreme bodily configurations that push warrior-print conventions toward the limits of what polychrome woodblock could represent. Such prints occupied a space where warrior action and horror imagery overlapped.
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
Moritsuna Holding a Knife in his Mouth and Strangling the Fisherman Todayu was created by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (歌川国芳).
Moritsuna Holding a Knife in his Mouth and Strangling the Fisherman Todayu depicts figures and animals.