93 - Kyōsai: Drawing of a Travelling Couple

Kyōsai: Drawing of a Traveling Couple

Here we see a fine drawing by Kawanabe Kyōsai (1831-1889), A Travelling Couple. It is from about 1880 and shows what a versatile artist Kyōsai was.

73 - Kyōsai: Title Unknown

Kyōsai: Title Unknown

I have not been able to find any title to this print by Kawanabe Kyōsai, so we leave it at that just to enjoy its graphic power. The colours and the composition are very effective and somehow the image looks very "modern".

37 - Kyōsai: Tengu and a Buddhist Monk

Kyōsai: Tengu and a Buddhist Monk

Tengu are folkloristic figures of Japan. A sort of  kami or yōkai. They are something in between humans and birds and are depicted with a beak or long nose. The one we see here (right), is clearly bird-like.

Tengu and a Buddhist Monk, is a painting by Kawanabe Kyōsai (1831-1889).

22 - Kyōsai: May (Shōki Riding a Tiger)

Kyōsai: May, (Shōki Riding a Tiger)

This is a triptych by Kawanabe Kyōsai (1831-1889), a skilled artist who considered himself the heir of Hokusai. He made woodblock prints and painted; in addition to that, he was the first political caricaturist in Japan, which caused him three jail sentences.

This triptych from 1887 is part of a series with the twelve months. It represents May, which is also written in English to the right.

Riding on a tiger is Shōki, the Demon Queller. He was a protector against demons and disease. Originally Chinese, as Chung Kwei, he was adopted by the Japanese during the 12th century. Shōki frequently appears as a motive in ukiyo-e.

On Boy's Day, in the 5th month, people used to hang pictures of Shōki, so Kyōsai let him represent May.