91 - Tsukimaro: Kintarō Fighting with an Eagle

Tsukimaro: Kintarō Fighting with an Eagle

 
This is a surimono, Kintarō Fighting with an Eagle, by Kitagawa Tsukimaro.

You can read more about Kintarō here.

05 - Yoshitoshi: The Giant Carp

Yoshitoshi: The Great Carp

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839-1892) is often considered as the last ukiyo-e master, although there are many bids on that epithet. However, he is one of the last, and one of the great geniuses of late ukiyo-e. He feels unmistakably modern.

Here we see "The Giant Carp" from the 1880s. The red figure is Kintarō.

Kintarō, a fictitious character, is probably based on a real person: Sakata Kintoki, from the Heian period (794-1185 AD). In Japanese folklore, however, he has grown to a superhero, a boy with superhuman strength. According to legend, he was raised by Yamauba (or Yamanba), a mountain hag on Mount Ashigara (or Mount Kintoki). There are several versions of his further story, some of them contradictory.

Still a popular figure in Japanese popular culture, Kintarō had his heydays during the Edo period, frequently appearing in traditional theater (both kabuki and nō) as well as in ukiyo-e.

In this woodblock print by Yoshitoshi, Kintarō is fighting against a great carp.