Untitled

Utagawa Kunisada

ca. 1824 · Woodblock print (surimono); ink and color on paper · Asian Art

Benkei is an armed and courageous warrior. Seated on a pile of humans, this character presents overlapping images of the superpowerful heroes Benkei and Fudō Myōō (Immovable Guardian King of the Buddhist Law), holding a sword and a rosary. Fudō Myōō, particularly at the Shinshōji temple in Narita, is a protector of the Ichikawa family. This surimono, a privately commissioned print, might have been a New Year's gift to celebrate the birth of the future Danjūrō VIII.

Artist

Utagawa Kunisada

Date

ca. 1824

Medium

Woodblock print (surimono); ink and color on paper

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1921