Ukiyo-e Educational Catalog · Record 67036

The Wrestling Bout (Parody of Ushiwakamaru and Benkei)

Artist / 作者
Suzuki Harunobu鈴木春信
Date / 年代
1762-1772
Medium / 技法
浮世絵 / Ukiyo-e / Edo / aic
Digital record / 画像記録
1677 × 2250 px
Source collection / 所蔵元
Art Institute of Chicago
Published by / 公開者
水野ナギ
Rights / 権利
CC0 1.0 when is_public_domain=true
Attribution / 表記
Suzuki Harunobu. The Wrestling Bout (Parody of Ushiwakamaru and Benkei), 1762-1772. The Art Institute of Chicago.

Catalog note / 解説

Harunobu is well known for his charming domestic portrayals. At first glance, this print seems to depict just such a scene, but scholars have suggested that this is in fact a parody of Yoshitsune and Benkei's fateful fight in Kyoto (see Ushiwakamaru and Benkei and Gojö Bridge in Kyoto where Benkei Killed a Thousand People on display nearby). Parody was a central feature of Edo culture, and although Benkei as a character in drama, literature and art was frequently used to satirize the samurai, he was not immune from being a target of that parody himself. In this example of mitate, or parody through intentional visual confusion, a fight between two children is purposely "confused" with the fi…

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