The Warrior Slaying the Giant White Hihi

The Warrior Slaying the Giant White Hihi

Utagawa Yoshitora

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This print illustrates a warrior of legendary bravery, Iwami Jūtarō, slaying a monstrous ape (hihi). The huge ape is carefully embossed on uncolored paper to reveal the texture of the animal's hair. In contrast to the white hair, the warrior in dark kimono, the black background, and the ape's red face and ear emphasize the creature's size and ferocity. Yoshitora, a pupil of Kuniyoshi, concentrated on his teacher's favorite subject matter in the early part of his career and focused on prints of foreigners in Yokohama and of foreign scenes (Yokohama-e) during the Meiji period.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Warrior Slaying the Giant White HihiThe Warrior Slaying the Giant White HihiThe Warrior Slaying the Giant White HihiThe Warrior Slaying the Giant White HihiThe Warrior Slaying the Giant White Hihi

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.