1835
ink
paper
From the collection of Metropolitan Museum of Art
戯場水滸伝百|Three Heroes of the Water Margin Capture the Bandit Queen Ichijōsei, from the series One Hundred Eight Heroes of the Theater Suikoden is a 1835 ink by Shunbaisai Hokuei 春梅斎北英, a Romanticism work, held at Metropolitan Museum of Art.
This print shows a dramatic scene of a warrior crouched under a tree branch, gripping a long pole. The figure wears bright, patterned armor with gold accents and a red hat, leaning forward as if ready to strike. Behind them, a snowy mountain range and dark clouds create a tense backdrop, while the tree’s bark is textured with fine lines. The warrior’s pose suggests action—maybe a battle or a chase. The bold colors and detailed patterns on the armor stand out against the cooler blues and whites of the sky. Look up cross-hatching to see how artists create texture with lines.
Hokuei spent his life in Osaka, a busy port city where art and theater mixed like ink in water.
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