26156 Shiko Munakata, The Shackles of Tenpi Drums and Fives (Shiko Munakata Appraisal Committee)

Height 38.5cm x 53.0cm (including frame)
Width 26.5cm x 41.0cm (including frame)


Munakata Shiko was a Japanese woodblock artist born in Aomori City, Aomori Prefecture in 1903 (Meiji 36). In his final years, he temporarily changed his name to Munakata Shiko. He grew up in a poor family, and while helping out with the family business from a young age, he became drawn to painting. It is said that he was particularly moved by the beauty of arrowhead flowers he saw in a rice paddy, and decided to become a painter.

Shiko Munakata's "The Shackle of Heavenly Princesses and Drums" is one of a group of works in which he praises women as Buddhas, and is a popular design with reverse-colored details.

This work is believed to have been created while Munakata Shiko was staying in the United States. It is closely related to his works "Ode to the Universe: East-West Fences" and "Ode to the Universe: North-South Fences," which won the International Print Grand Prize at the 28th Venice Biennale in 1956 and led to him being called "Munakata of the World." It is one of his representative works that has received international acclaim.