Title : Kiyomori Sees Skulls

Artist : Utagawa Hiroshige

Date : c. 1843 -1847

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Source : Honolulu Museum of Art
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Description : This print depicts a scene from the Heike Monogatari (The Tale of the Heike), which describes events surrounding the Gempei Wars of 1181-1185 between the Minamoto and Taira clans. Here we see the once mighty and ever ruthless head of the Taira, Kiyomori (whose hunger for power was legendary), facing demons of delusion. His reputation as a tyrant was well known, and his demise and eventual death from convulsions and fever were a popular topic for woodblock print artists. Master landscapist Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858) places the aging Kiyomori on a balcony in winter, gazing across an icy pond at a landscape formed by skulls in the snow. His defiant stance is no match for the mass of trees, bushes, and hills that are transforming themselves into fearful skulls, representing the many lives he has taken in his quest for power and authority. Contemporary tattoo artist Horitaka (Kitamura Takahiro) used this design to create a painting in preparation for executing a full body tattoo in 2004. Contemporary tattoo artists use traditional woodblock print designs as inspiration, but seldom directly copy the image from the print. Horitaka consciously borrows from Hiroshige, having traced over many of his designs, and is aware of the special need to adapt design for the body, form, and skin type of the wearer. (Tattoo exhibition 2005)

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