Collections: Asian Art: Oniwakamaru and the Giant Carp Fight Underwater

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Oniwakamaru and the Giant Carp Fight Underwater

Known by many names (including Kintaro, or Golden Boy), Sakata Kaidomaru was an eleventh-century warrior of legendary strength who is said to have displayed great prowess as a fighter even in his early childhood. This celebrated image shows the well-muscled boy wrestling a giant carp under a waterfall. Kuniyoshi adds considerable depth and energy to the scene through his innovative depictions of a transparent stream of water and scattering white spray.

Artist: Utagawa Kuniyoshi, 1797-1861
Medium: Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Place Made: Japan
Dates: 1835
Period: Edo Period
Dimensions: 15 x 10 5/16 in. (38.1 x 26.2 cm) (show scale)
Collections:Asian Art
Museum Location: This item is not on view
Accession Number: 1999.139.1
Credit Line: Gift of Dr. Eleanor Z. Wallace in memory of her husband, Stanley L. Wallace M.D.
Rights Statement: No known copyright restrictions
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Caption: Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1861). Oniwakamaru and the Giant Carp Fight Underwater, 1835. Woodblock print; ink and color on paper, 15 x 10 5/16 in. (38.1 x 26.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Dr. Eleanor Z. Wallace in memory of her husband, Stanley L. Wallace M.D., 1999.139.1
Image: overall, 1999.139.1_IMLS_PS3.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don't yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.

Catalogue Description: This print depicts the famous legend of a young demon, Oniwakamaru (aka Sakata Kaidomaru, aka Kintaro, aka Golden Boy), fighting with a Giant Carp, which swallowed his mother. Oniwakamaru's mother gave birth to him after a mysterious dream that she would miraculously conceive a child in her old age. The title of the print is located on the upper left, and the artist's signature appears under the title, and the legend about Oniwakamaru is written in an extended text on the lower left. The artist, Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1861), is one of the Utagawa school's ukiyo-e artists, who portrayed old stories and legends as most of his themes.
Record Completeness: Best (86%)
Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.

Oniwakamaru [x]		Kintaro [x]
chubby [x]		print [x]
IMLS [x]		woodblock [x]
japanese [x]		fight [x]
mythic [x]		fish [x]
mythical [x]

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Tags by Posse members

RajArumugam (2)
- Kintaro
- Oniwakamaru
not_here (9)
- japanese
- mythic
- mythical
- woodblock
- IMLS
- fight
- fish
- print
- chubby

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