Good and Evil Influences (Zendama akudama)
c. 1795
Medium
Color woodblock print; center sheet of oban triptych (left sheet: 1929.737)
Dimensions
27 × 24.7 cm (10 5/8 × 9 11/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
22491
Art Historical Context
Eishosai Choki’s *Good and Evil Influences (Zendama akudama)*, created around 1795, offers a vivid glimpse into late-Edo-period Japan through the lens of ukiyo-e. This color woodblock print forms the central panel of an oban triptych, a format that allowed artists to unfold narrative scenes across multiple sheets. Choki, active in the 1790s, was known for his delicate line work and imaginative compositions that often blended theatrical subjects with moral or fantastical themes. Woodblock printing was the dominant medium for popular imagery in Japan at the time, enabling wide distribution of a...