108 Heroes of the Suikoden, One by One (chûban)
(Suikoden
gôketsu hyaku-bachi-nin no hitori)
Publisher: Yamazaki Kimbei
1830, reissued in 1842
This series of prints is
based on stories from the semi-historical Chinese novel, Suikoden (Shuihu zhuan
in Chinese). It tells of the adventures
of a band of 108 rebels who sought refuge in the margins of Liangshan
Marsh. These rebel warriors sought to
protect the poor and downtrodden, very much like Robin Hood’s band. Each print in this series was published with a
decorative margin. Unfortunately, some
collectors disliked the margins and removed them. Some of the designs in this series are
smaller versions of prints in Kuniyoshi’s ‘great’ Suikoden series. The prints in this series are each about 10
by 7 inches (25 by 18 centimeters), a size known as chûban.
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Japanese name:
Gyôja Bushô of Seikaken Chinese name:
Wu Song Scene:
Gyôja Bushô, brown-skinned and half-naked, killing a tiger with his bare
hands at Keiyô Hill Robinson:
S2a.1 |
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Japanese name:
Chûsenko Teitokuson Chinese name:
Ding Desun Scene:
Chûsenko Teitokuson driving his sword into an enormous snake with both hands Robinson:
S2a.2 |
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Japanese name:
Hakujisso Hakushô Chinese name:
Bai Sheng Scene:
Hakujisso Hakushô, half-naked, lifting a box of snakes above a foe with whom
he is struggling. Robinson:
S2a.3 |
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Japanese name:
Hyôshitô Rinchû Chinese name:
Lin Chong Scene:
Hyôshitô Rinchû about to thrust his sword into a kneeling dark-skinned foe in
the snow Robinson:
S2a.4 |
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Japanese name:
Kokusempû Riki (called Ritetsu Gyu) Chinese name:
Li Kui Scene:
Kokusempû Riki by a waterfall with a sword in hand fighting three tigers Robinson:
S2a.5 |
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No image available |
Japanese name:
Kwaoshô (or Kaoshô) Rochishin Chinese name:
Lu Da or Lu Zhishen Scene: Robinson:
S2a.6 |
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No image available |
Japanese name:
Kwatsuyenra (or Katsuenra) Genshôshichi Chinese name:
Ruan Xiaoqi Scene: Robinson:
S2a.7 |
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No image available |
Japanese name:
Ryôtôja (or Ryôtôda) Kaichin Chinese name:
Xie Zhen Scene: Robinson:
S2a.8 |
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No image available |
Japanese name:
Ryûchitaisai (or Ritchitaisai) Genshôji Chinese name:
Ruan Xiao’er Scene: Robinson:
S2a.9 |
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Japanese name:
Sekibakki Ryûtô Chinese name:
Liu Tang Scene:
Sekibakki Ryûtô holding a sword in his right horizontally over his head Robinson:
S2a.10 |
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Japanese name:
Sôshiko Raiô Chinese name:
Lei Heng Scene:
Sôshiko Raiô standing by a river with rapids holding his sword in front of
him with both hands Robinson:
S2a.11 |
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The above two prints may be
joined to form a diptych. In ukiyo-e, it is not unusual to
encounter a series of single-sheet prints, only a few of which form larger
compositions when joined. If the
prints are well designed, each panel is artistically pleasing in
isolation. |
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No image available |
Japanese name:
Tammeijirô Genshôgo Chinese name:
Ruan Xiaowu Scene: Robinson:
S2a.12 |
‘Robinson’ refers to listing in Kuniyoshi: The Warrior-Prints by Basil William Robinson (Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, 1982) and its unpublished supplement.
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