Utagawa Kuniyoshi
Woman with a Cat on the Table
From $100
This woodblock print is orange stripes, black ink and bare muscle, and a cheap copy muddies the stripes. Our Kuniyoshi Wu Song print was graded from a high-resolution scan so every stripe stays crisp.
Canvas, framed or paper
Stretched canvas. Printed on cotton canvas and stretched taut over a frame. The edges are mirror-wrapped, so the picture continues around the sides and none of it is lost to the fold.
Framed canvas. The same canvas, set in a black, white, natural wood or dark wood frame 0.83 in deep. The frame gives the work a finished edge and a little more presence on the wall.
Framed print. Printed on fine art matte paper and framed in solid pine, behind shatterproof plexiglass, in black, white, natural wood or dark wood. It arrives ready to hang. Framed sizes are measured on the outside of the frame.
Fine art print. Printed on 310gsm fine art matte paper, for framing your own way. It travels rolled and protected. From 18x24 inch.
Sizes
12x18 inch, 20x30 inch, 24x36 inch. Framed sizes are measured on the outside of the frame, so the visible painting is a little smaller.
On your wall
Its tall shape suits a study, a hallway or a den. The oranges and blacks look bold with white, charcoal and dark wood, and a black frame suits it.
About the painting
Wu Song and the Tiger by Utagawa Kuniyoshi
Edo, 1827
In 1827 a publisher asked Utagawa Kuniyoshi for the 108 heroes of the Water Margin, a Chinese novel of outlaws. He covered them in tattoos and muscle, and the series made him famous overnight and set off a craze for tattoos in Edo.
Eighteen bowls
Wu Song stopped at an inn below Jingyang Ridge, where a banner warned: after three bowls, do not cross the ridge. He drank eighteen and went on. On the ridge a tiger sprang at him; his staff broke against a tree, and he killed it with his bare fists.
Chicago
This print is signed Ichiyūsai Kuniyoshi and carries the censor’s seal of approval. It belongs to the Art Institute of Chicago.
Read the story
A tattooed man wrestles a huge tiger with his bare hands.
In 1827, a publisher in Edo asked Utagawa Kuniyoshi to draw the hundred and eight heroes of the Water Margin, a Chinese novel about a band of outlaws. Kuniyoshi covered them in tattoos and muscle, and the series made him famous almost overnight. It even started a craze for tattoos in Edo.
This is one of those heroes: Wu Song, nicknamed the Pilgrim.
In the novel, Wu Song stops at an inn at the foot of Jingyang Ridge. Outside hangs a banner: After three bowls, do not cross the ridge. The wine is that strong. Wu Song drinks eighteen bowls, and sets off up the ridge anyway.
There, a tiger springs out of the woods. Wu Song swings his staff, but it breaks against a tree. So he pins the tiger down and kills it with his bare fists.
Kuniyoshi signed it, Ichiyūsai Kuniyoshi, and it carries the censor's seal of approval.
This print belongs to the Art Institute of Chicago.
Look at the tiger's stripes, and then at Wu Song's fists.
Wu Song and the Tiger. Utagawa Kuniyoshi, about 1827 to 1830.
How each piece is brought to life
Faithful to the original, and made to be felt on your wall.
Graded against the original
We compare every work with the original as we grade it, keeping the artist’s colours true while bringing back their depth and glow. Every mark stays the artist’s own.
Printed for you
Printed to order on cotton canvas or fine art paper, then framed if you chose a frame, in 1 to 3 business days.
On your wall
It arrives 5 to 12 business days later, tracked and free anywhere in the US. Framed pieces come ready to hang.
Questions
Is this the original painting?
No. The original hangs in a museum. What you receive is a fine art reproduction, remastered from the original and printed for you, with every mark where the artist left it.
Will the colour look flat?
This is where most reproductions disappoint, and it is where we spend the most time. Each work is graded side by side with the original: faithful to the artist’s colours, with the depth and warmth brought back, so it moves you on the wall the way it was meant to. Canvas reads a touch softer than a backlit screen, and every screen shows colour a little differently.
Will the edges be cropped?
Each size is a standard frame size, so we fit the painting by trimming a little from its edges. We never stretch or squash it, and we check every size by eye so no face, figure or signature is cut. On canvas the edges are mirror-wrapped, which keeps the whole picture on the front.
Which size is right for my wall?
Aim for about two-thirds the width of the furniture beneath it. Over a sofa or a sideboard, one of the two largest sizes will hold the wall. The size guide lists every size in inches and centimetres, with the kind of wall each one suits.
How long does it take?
Your piece is printed in 1–3 business days, then spends 5–12 business days in transit, tracked all the way. Delivery is free anywhere in the US. We are unable to deliver to PO boxes.
What if it arrives damaged?
Send us a photograph and we will remake it and send it again. There is nothing to return.
Can I return it?
Yes, within 30 days of delivery. Our returns policy has the details.
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Printed to order
Graded against the original, then printed for you on cotton canvas or fine art paper in 1–3 business days.
The whole painting
Every mark is the artist’s own, and canvas edges are mirror-wrapped so the whole picture stays on the front.
Free US shipping
On every order, tracked, 5–12 business days in transit.
30-day returns
Returns and exchanges within 30 days of delivery.
