Title : The Wrestling Bout (Parody of Ushiwakamaru and Benkei)

Artist : Suzuki Harunobu

Date : c. 1767

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Source : Honolulu Museum of Art
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Description : Harunobu is well known for his charming domestic portrayals. At first glance, this print seems to depict just such a scene, but scholars have suggested that this is in fact a parody of Yoshitsune and Benkei's fateful fight in Kyoto (see Ushiwakamaru and Benkei and Gojö Bridge in Kyoto where Benkei Killed a Thousand People on display nearby). Parody was a central feature of Edo culture, and although Benkei as a character in drama, literature and art was frequently used to satirize the samurai, he was not immune from being a target of that parody himself. In this example of mitate, or parody through intentional visual confusion, a fight between two children is purposely "confused" with the fight between Yoshitsune and Benkei, reframing their famous battle as a childish squabble. The verandah with the handrail here is visually substituted for the Gojö Bridge, the plum blossoms in the background are associated with the Tenjin shrine near the bridge that Yoshitsune visited, and other visual clues create links to Yoshitsune and Benkei for an informed viewer of the time. The standing child, Yoshitsune, is performing a Kabuki-style mie (bold pose), reminiscent of theatrical depictions of warrior tales. Harunobu is known for his trademark slender figures. His style is far better suited to depicting refined courtesans in the pleasure quarters than warrior scenes, and only a handful of warrior prints are attributed to him, but here he exploits the potential of the mitate technique to treat a historical and martial theme in his characteristic mode.

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