Yoshitsuya Utagawa, Kidomaru Sorcerer, Magic

Kidomaru was a famous bandit sorcerer who learned magic from a tengu, a winged mythical creature that had the ability to train martial arts as well as shapeshifting. In this print, Kidomaru used his magic to transform something into a large hawk. He is holding a scroll in his hand and his extravagant clothes are in tune with his otherworldly nature. Sorcerers and magic are common themes in ukiyo-e. Yoshitsuya's teacher, Kuniyoshi Utagawa, was also fond of the supernatural and many of this prints present unusual and mythical characters.