Snake (Mi): Nitan Shiro, from the series "Heroes for the Twelve Animals of the Zodiac (Buyu mitate junishi)"
- Date:
- c. 1840
- Medium:
- Color woodblock print; oban
- Format:
- Oban
- Source:
- Art Institute of Chicago
Description
In the "Heroes for the Twelve Animals of the Zodiac" series (c. 1840), each of the twelve zodiac animals is associated with a specific warrior whose story or attributes connect thematically to the animal. Nitan Shiro, assigned the Snake, likely has a connection to serpent imagery in his backstory — possibly a famous encounter with a giant snake or a family association with the Heian-period snake-related legends. The serpent's sinuous energy and cold intensity would have been incorporated into both the warrior's pose and the decorative elements surrounding him.
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
Frequently Asked Questions
Snake (Mi): Nitan Shiro, from the series "Heroes for the Twelve Animals of the Zodiac (Buyu mitate junishi)" was created by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (歌川国芳) in c. 1840.
Yes — Snake (Mi): Nitan Shiro, from the series "Heroes for the Twelve Animals of the Zodiac (Buyu mitate junishi)" is part of the Heroes for the Twelve Animals of the Zodiac (Buyu mitate junishi) series by Utagawa Kuniyoshi.
Snake (Mi): Nitan Shiro, from the series "Heroes for the Twelve Animals of the Zodiac (Buyu mitate junishi)" depicts heroes & warriors and animals.