Description
Beautiful original woodblock print inspired by the novel “Kinrei Saga Monogatari” (金鈴善悪譚) by the writer Kanagaki Robun (仮名垣魯文) and depicting the thief of Mount Ibuki (伊吹山) Madaramaru (魔陀羅丸) who, in the guise of the Zen monk Ryugin (龍吟) of the Rakanji Temple (羅漢寺), is conjuring a cat spirit, also revealing a magnificent tattoo depicting a dragon on his back.
The work, taken from the famous series “Sagas of Beauty and Bravery” (美勇水滸伝) by the artist Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (月岡芳年), was produced in April 1867 by the publisher Omiya Kyujiro (近江屋久次郎), owner of Kiyudo (亀遊堂), and by the carver Katada Chojiro (片田長次郎).
The print on Japanese washi paper (和紙), despite the right signs of aging and a horizontal fold mark in the center of the sheet, is in overall very good condition.
