Description
Famous original woodblock print made around 1882 by the artist Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (月岡芳年) and depicting Kintaro (金太郎), the child from Japanese folklore endowed with superhuman strength, while catching a giant carp. Even today Kintaro is very popular and the dolls representing the “Golden Boy”, used in particular on May 5 on the occasion of the “Children’s Day” (こどもの日), are a wish for children to grow up healthy, good and strong like the mythological character.
The work, entitled “Kintaro Captures the Carp” (金太郎獲鯉魚), was made by Yoshitoshi a decade before the end of his career, when the artist was about 43 years old, and is taken from an untitled series known as “Yoshitoshi ryakuga” (芳年略画), that is “Sketches by Yoshitoshi”, a collection of prints made with an amusing style and dedicated to Japanese history and folklore, as well as to kabuki (歌舞伎) theater.
The print on Japanese washi paper (和紙), despite the obvious signs of aging and a vertical folding line, is in overall good condition.
