Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, "Kintaro Captures the Giant Carp"

One of a rare series of vertical diptychs created by Yoshitoshi in the 1880s, this work centers on the exploits of the famous Kintaro, who is said to have been raised by a mountain witch (yamauba) and possessed supernatural strength. Here, Yoshitoshi illustrates one of Kintaro’s most celebrated adventures: his struggle with a giant carp at Bishamon Waterfall, in present-day Kōchi Prefecture, undertaken to avenge the death of his mother. The artist’s masterful composition captures the extraordinary physical force and theatrical intensity of the encounter. A masterfully composed and dramatic work by one of the greatest woodblock print artists of the Meiji-era.

Date: 1885
Size: Vertical Diptych (kakemono-e)
Publisher: Hasegawa Tsunejiro
Condition: Light vertical fold to both sheets, some soiling, light fading, otherwise very good color and condition with full margins

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839-1892) was a master painter and woodblock print artist whose works have made an indelible mark on Japanese art and design to this day. His most famous series, "One Hundred Aspects of the Moon," comprise some of Yoshitoshi's best known designs.