Who painted The Illustrated Tale of Oishi Hyōroku?

The Illustrated Tale of Oishi Hyōroku was painted by Unknown in 1704.

Where can I see The Illustrated Tale of Oishi Hyōroku?

The Illustrated Tale of Oishi Hyōroku is held by Cleveland Museum of Art.

What movement is The Illustrated Tale of Oishi Hyōroku?

The Illustrated Tale of Oishi Hyōroku is associated with Baroque.

Artwork

The Illustrated Tale of Oishi Hyōroku

Unknown , 1704

The Illustrated Tale of Oishi Hyōroku is an unspecified painting by the Baroque artist Unknown. It dates from 1704 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

About this work

You see a long paper scroll filled with quick, inky drawings of a man fighting strange fox spirits.

You see a long paper scroll filled with quick, inky drawings of a man fighting strange fox spirits. The foxes twist into monsters—some with human faces, others with claws and tails.

This is part of a folk tale from Japan’s Edo period. The hero, Oishi Hyōroku, gets tricked over and over by the foxes before finally outsmarting them. The drawings feel lively, like a comic strip from 300 years ago.

If you like these kinds of ghost stories, look up *japan, edo period (1615–1868)*.

Overview

The handscroll, an unfinished work of Japanese picture narrative, depicts a segment of the folk legend of Oishi Hyōroku, a young man who confronts mischievous fox spirits. The visual narrative follows his repeated encounters with shape‑shifting foxes that assume grotesque, hybrid forms, culminating in his eventual capture of two of the creatures.

Subject & Meaning

The story, set in the autumn of 1624 in Kagoshima, presents Hyōroku as a figure repeatedly deceived and frightened by fox apparitions that assume monstrous guises. The episode illustrates themes of cunning versus trickery, reflecting Edo‑period beliefs about foxes (kitsune) as shapeshifters capable of both harm and humor.

Technique & Style

Rendered in swift ink strokes on paper, the scroll employs a lively, almost comic‑book rhythm. Figures are sketched with minimal detail, emphasizing movement and transformation; foxes appear with hybrid features—human faces, claws, and tails—conveying their supernatural nature through exaggerated, fluid lines.

History & Provenance

The scroll belongs to a broader corpus of illustrated folk tales from the Edo period (1615–1868). While the main narrative text is absent, colloquial captions resembling modern comic blurbs survive, offering clues to its original storytelling function. Its incomplete state suggests it was either never finished or has suffered loss over time.

Context

Fox spirit tales were popular in early modern Japan, often serving as moral or cautionary narratives. This particular version aligns with other extant scrolls that locate the action in Kagoshima, a region noted in historical records for reports of fox‑related disturbances during the early 17th century.