This
woodblock print, titled
Kinhyōshi yōrin, hero of the Suikoden, is one of a series created by the
Japanese artist Utagawa Kuniyoshi between 1827 and 1830 illustrating the 108
Suikoden ("Water Margin"). The publication of the series catapulted Kuniyoshi to fame. The story of the Suikoden is an adaptation of the Chinese
Shuǐhǔ Zhuàn; during the 1800s, the publication of this woodblock series and other translations of the novel created a Suikoden craze in Japan. Following the great commercial success of the Kuniyoshi series, other
ukiyo-e artists were commissioned to produce prints of the Suikoden heroes, which began to be shown as Japanese heroes rather than the original Chinese personages. The hero portrayed in this print is
Yang Lin.
Woodblock artist: Utagawa Kuniyoshi