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Sakata Kaidōmaru

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Asian Art

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.
MEDIUM Color woodblock print 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)
    SIGNATURE Ichiyūsai Kuniyoshi ga (一勇斎国芳画)
    COLLECTIONS Asian Art
    ACCESSION NUMBER 1999.139.1
    CREDIT LINE Gift of Dr. Eleanor Z. Wallace in memory of her husband, Dr. Stanley L. Wallace
    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. Ōban.
    MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
    CAPTION Utagawa Kuniyoshi (Japanese, 1798-1861). Sakata Kaidōmaru, 1835. Color woodblock print 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, Dr. Stanley L. Wallace, 1999.139.1 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 1999.139.1_IMLS_PS3.jpg)
    IMAGE overall, 1999.139.1_IMLS_PS3.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
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