1276221412.jpg (JPEG Image, 600x800 pixels) - Scaled (81%) 6a00d8341c82d353ef013488cf752d970c-800wi (PNG Image, 638x426 pixels) ‘Kaikidan Ekotoba’ monster scroll. Here is a look at the Kaikidan Ekotoba, a mysterious handscroll that profiles 33 legendary monsters and human oddities, mostly from the Kyushu region of Japan (with several from overseas).
The cartoonish document, whose author is unknown, is believed to date from the mid-19th century. It is now in the possession of the Fukuoka City Museum. White monster/Bird-dog hybrid [+] The black creature on the right was born by a dog that mated with a bird in the city of Fukuoka in the early 1740s. Next to the bird-dog hybrid is an amorphous white monster -- also encountered in Fukuoka -- which is said to have measured about 180 centimeters (6 ft) across.
Old woman at the temple [+] This illustration depicts a ghostly old woman known to appear late at night in a certain guest room at a temple in the Kaho area of Fukuoka prefecture. Russian fireball [+] Tiger meow-meow [+] Toad from the sea near Pusan [+] The illustration shows a fearsome horned toad said to inhabit the sea near Pusan, Korea. All-purpose tanuki testicles (prints by Kuniyoshi) 23 Jun 2009 In the mid-1840s, ukiyo-e master Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1861) created a number of woodblock prints showing legendary tanuki (raccoon dogs) using their humorously large scrota in creative ways.
River fishing Shelter from evening showers Rokurokubi (long-necked monster) disguise Net fishing Making dashi (soup stock) Weightlifting Catfish mallet Coming and going Making mochi Visiting Konpira, the guardian deity of seafaring Boy's festival Cause of chronic abdominal pain Shichifukujin (the Seven Lucky Gods) disguise Fortune-telling tent Shop signs. Web Gallery of Art, image collection, virtual museum, searchable database of European fine arts (1000-1850) Art cyclopedia: The Fine Art Search Engine.
Most Popular Artists. The most popular artist searches last month: a not-to-be-taken-too-seriously measurement of which famous artists have the greatest "mindshare" in our collective culture.
Moving up: Edgar Degas (#22 to #12), Titian (#28 to #18), and realist painter Janet Fish (appearing for the first time on the list at #29). Moving down: Joan Miro (#13 to #19), Wassily Kandinsky (#11 to #24) and Paul Gauguin (#21 down to #32). How we measure popularity: In order to eliminate any kind of selection bias due to search engine ranking, external links, etc., we only count internal links from our own search box and our artist listings. Sistine Chapel. Leonardo Da Vinci Misc. Medical woodblock prints from 19th-century Japan. The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) maintains a collection of 400 health-themed woodblock prints from 19th-century Japan.
The collection -- which includes drug advertisements, illustrated instructions for treating and preventing contagious diseases, and visual guides to the human body -- offers a unique look at Japanese medical knowledge in the late Edo and early Meiji periods. Here are a few images from the collection. Ad for Kinder-Puwder, King of Pediatric Drugs -- Morikawa Chikashige, 1880 [+] Chasing measles away -- Utagawa Yoshimori, 1862 Ten realms within the body -- Utagawa Kuniteru III, c. 1885 [+] Pills to cure toxic illnesses such as syphilis and gonorrhea -- Artist unknown, late 19th century Protective gods help good drugs fight evil disease -- Utagawa Yoshikazu, 1858 [+] Hōsō-e talisman print to ward off smallpox -- Artist unknown, c. 1849 Ad for drug to improve handwriting and reading skills -- Utagawa Yoshitsuya, 1862 Pregnancy guide -- Hamano Teisuke, 1880 [+]