Set of Kintarô

(Kintarô zukushi)

c. 1840

The name Kintarô literally means Golden Boy. He was the son of Princess Yaegiri. Kintarô lived alone in the woods where he talked to the animals. He was so strong that he could bend trees like twigs and vanquished various monsters. When he grew up, Kintarô joined with the hero Raikô (Minamoto no Yorimitsu) and became a famous warrior himself. Kintarô is also known as Kwaidô Maru and as an adult was called Sakata no Kintoki. The prints in this series are each about 14 by 10 inches (36 by 25 centimeters), a size known as ôban.

	Subtitle: Imitation of Kwanu (Kwanu mitate) Scene: Kintarô seated proudly on a rock with two attendant demons behind him Robinson: S12.1 Publisher: Tsujioka-ya Bunsuke
	Subtitle: Picture of Sagami (Sagami no zu) Scene: Kintarô, as a child in Sagami Province, with a demon and a tengu behind him umpiring a wrestling match between a hare and a monkey Robinson: S12.2 Publisher: Tsujioka-ya Bunsuke NOTE: Tengu are forest-dwelling creatures that are either human-like with wings and long noses or bird-like.
	Subtitle: Kintarô and the Demons at Ogres’ Island (Kintarô onigashima asobi) Scene: Kintarô holding an axe is sitting in a portable shrine which is carried on the shoulders of demons wearing festival clothing Robinson: Unlisted Publisher: Tsujioka-ya Bunsuke
	Scene: Kintarô as Yoshitoshi throwing beans at a small demon Robinson: Unlisted Publisher: Izumi-ya Ichibei NOTE: This print is titled “Sakata Kintarô” (坂田 金太郎).
	Scene: Kintarô chasing demons away with a broom Robinson: Unlisted Publisher: No seal NOTE: This print is titled “Sakata Kintarô” (坂田 金郎).

“Robinson” refers to listing in Kuniyoshi: The Warrior-Prints by Basil William Robinson (Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, 1982) and its privately published supplement.

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