Landscape and Legend

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Hu Sanniang, from One Hundred and Eight Heroes of the Popular Water Margin

c. 1827/30

Color woodblock print, 39.5 × 27 cm. The Art Institute of Chicago

A woman warrior of the Chinese outlaw novel braces amid flying arrows, a sword in each hand.

• Sarah Thompson (MFA Boston) calls this series his breakthrough, launching the warrior print.
• Armor, robes and foliage crowd the sheet in dense, swirling pattern.
• She adds that Chinese novels were a fairly safe subject under the censors.

Image: Art Institute of Chicago open access · CC0