Utagawa Kuniyoshi (歌川国芳) (artist 11/15/1797 – 03/05/1861)
Sun Er Niang, the Witch (Botaichū Kodaisō - 母体中顧太嫂) from the series 108 Heroes of the Popular Water Margin (Tzuzoku Suikoden goketsu hyakuhachinin no uchi - 通俗水滸傳濠傑百八人之内)
ca 1846 – 1848
6.75 in x 9.5 in (Overall dimensions) Japanese woodblock print
Signed: Ichiyūsai Kuniyoshi ga
一勇斎国芳画
Publisher: Yamamotoya Heikichi
(Marks 595 - seal 02-026)
Censor seals: Yoshimura and Muramatsu
British Museum - referred to as 'The Good Wife'
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
British Museum - another Kuniyoshi print of this woman having her wounded arm treated
Lyon Collection - another print from this series So far we only know of 24 prints published from this series along with 4 preparatory drawings. Also, it should be noted that the Kuniyoshi Project gives the transliterated title of this series as 'Tsûzoku Suikoden gôketsu hyakuhachi-nin'.
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We first encounter Sun Er Niang in Chapter 27 of the Outlaws of the Marsh. She and her husband operate a tavern out in the wilderness, by itself, where they serve wines and meats, but their specialty is dumplings. The problem is: what's in the dumplings. Animal or human flesh?
Here is how she is described in volume one on page 433:
A woman was seated outside by a window. She wore a green silk tunic. Her hair was adorned with gleaming golden pins and wild flowers. When she saw Wu Song and the two guards approaching, she rose and came forward to greet them. A crimson skirt of fine silk draped the lower half of her body. Her face was rouged and powdered. Her open tunic revealed a peach-colored silk blouse with gold buttons.
"Rest a while, travellers," she said. "We have good meat and wine here. And if you'd like a delicacy, you can try our big dumplings."
Yamamotoya Heikichi (山本屋平吉) (publisher)
Suikoden (水滸傳) (genre)