Artist: Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Title: The Miracle of Famous Paintings by Ukiyo Matahei

Date: June 1853

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Source: Minneapolis Institute of Arts
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Description:

One of the many subplots in the puppet play Keisei hangonko (The Beauty Whose Spirit Appears in the Incense Smoke), first performed in 1708, involves a certain Matahei who is credited with having created the Otsu-e style of folk painting (examples on view in this gallery). When Matahei is about to be arrested on false charges, the subjects of his paintings magically come to life and defend him. Here, an astonished Matahei peers up as his creations. Utagawa Kuniyoshi, who created this design, included all ten Otsu-e themes--the standard repertoire of Otsu-e artists after the turn of the nineteenth century.

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