Page 37 - Bonhams September 11 2018 New York Japanese & Korean Works of Art

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CIRCLE OF HOKUSAI
Takashima Oiko and Saeki Ujinaga
Meiji era (1868-1912), late 19th century
A hanging scroll, ink and colors on silk depicting the wrestler Saeki
assaulting the legendary strong woman Oiko, Mount Fuji towering in
the distance, inscribed Zen Hokusai iitsu hitsu and bearing the seal
Hokusai
With a wood storage box
36 1/2 x 14 1/8in (92.7 x 35.8cm)
$1,500 - 2,500

The design for this painting is taken from an image originally
produced in volume 9 of Hokusai’s manga series Denshin kaishu
Hokusai manga (Transmitting the Spirit, Revealing the Form of
Things: Hokusai Sketchbooks), first published in 1819. The scene
depicts an encounter between sumo wrestler Saeki Ujinaga of
Echizen Province and Takashima Oiko, a young widow noted for her
great strength. The painter here, likely one of Hokusai’s followers
working closely in his style, has placed the figures in a more
developed setting than that of original manga design. In the distance,
Mount Fuji rises above thatched cottages and distant clouds, adding
a greater sense of depth to the composition.

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