Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (Japan, 1839-1892) Two prints, vertical diptych, oban tate-e, Kintarō Horigyo (金太郎捕鯉魚), Kintarō catching a carp. Signed Ōju Yoshitoshi ga. Publisher Matsui Eikichi. Dated the 7th month of Meiji 18 (1885). Traces of mica (minor restoration). Size: each 37.1 x 25.3 cm Yoshitoshi collaborated with Matsui Eikichi from 1885 to 1889 on fifteen vertical diptychs that are now considered to be the pinnacle of his career. There is often confusion over the identity of Kintarō ('the golden boy'), due to his different names and legendary exploits. Kintarō or Kaidomaru was the childhood name of Sakata Kintoki, one of the loyal servants of Minamoto no Yorimitsu (944-1021). He was the illegitimate son of Sakata Kurando, one of Emperor Shujaku's bodyguards, with a woman called Yaegiri. The scandal caused by this affair forced Kurando to leave the court. He becomes a masterless samurai (rōnin) forced to roam the country. Shortly after his departure, Yaegiri goes in search of him and finds him alone and humiliated, just before he commits suicide. Overcome with grief, Yaegiri retreats to Mount Ashigara, where she gives birth to an extraordinary child: Kaidomaru. He called his mother Yamauba. From an early age, Kaidomaru displayed extraordinary powers, great intelligence and the ability to make friends with any animal. He is often depicted as a chubby child, his body resembling that of a sumo wrestler, with a round face and red skin. In Japan, legend has it that only great power can subdue a carp, making it an animal symbolising strength. Reference: A similar diptych in the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, no. 41.42.129a-b