A Gwailo's View of Han Zi ! A Blog featuring my experiments with Han Zi and digital typographic art and articles on Chinese derived characters. Also some articles on Chinese characters in general and their use of multiple Asian languages.
This #japanese #ukiyoe #print shows an actor in character wearing what is probably a handpainted kimono perhaps a special creation just for one play? I suspect hand painting rather than stencilled cloth even that this is a theatrical costume and the way the tiger curves around the robe probably so the audience could see the design on all sides as the actor moved across the stage.
I'm not sure even the most boldest Tokyo male 18th c. fashionistas would have dared to copy this as street wear?
#shunko #yearoftheox #ukiyoe #japaneseprint
The Year of the Ox starts soon so ...
This is a print by a lesser known Ukiyoe artist called Shunko.
I'm not entirely sure if the oxen are cows or water buffalo but note that one of them has a saddle!
Cattle were used for carrying loads as well as plowing fields or pulling carriages ! These two along with their humans are enjoying a rest before being loaded with that bundle of firewood or perhaps she's delivering that bundle and about to move it into that nearby shed?
