![Wu Song (Seikaken no san Busho), from the series "One Hundred and Eight Heroes of the [Popular] Water Margin ([Tsuzoku] Suikoden goketsu hyakuhachinin no hitori)" by Utagawa Kuniyoshi — Japanese Color woodblock print; oban, c. 1827/30](https://www.artic.edu/iiif/2/517bdaa5-8b45-dbd1-030d-e6896bc46b65/full/843,/0/default.jpg)
Wu Song (Seikaken no san Busho), 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 14 of 108)
- Date:
- c. 1827/30
- Medium:
- Color woodblock print; oban
- Format:
- Oban
- Source:
- Art Institute of Chicago
Description
Wu Song (Japanese: Seikaken no san Busho), the "Pilgrim," was one of the most popular Water Margin heroes — a powerful fighter who killed a tiger with his bare hands while drunk and later avenged his brother's murder in a series of violent confrontations. This oban from the Suikoden series (c. 1827-30) captures his martial energy in the close-cropped format that characterized the series, his tiger-killing fame likely referenced through tiger-skin accessories. Wu Song's combination of physical power, moral clarity, and personal tragedy made him the series' most sympathetic hero.
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
Wu Song (Seikaken no san Busho), 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 — Wu Song (Seikaken no san Busho), 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 14 of 108) by Utagawa Kuniyoshi.
Wu Song (Seikaken no san Busho), 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).