Kage-e: Shadow pictures
Kage-e (”shadow pictures”) — a popular form of Edo-period woodblock print — were appreciated by children and adults and commonly used as party gags. These pictures consist of two parts: a “shadow” image and a “real” image. The shadow image, which typically bears the shape of a common, easily identifiable object, is viewed first. The real image, viewed second, reveals the surprising true identity of the shadow.
Here’s a nice example by ukiyoe master Kuniyoshi (ca. 1852). It shows what appear to be the silhouettes of goldfish…
But look again…
It’s a flying tanuki crushing a hunter under the weight of its mammoth testicles.
Here are a few more kage-e by Hiroshige (ca. 1842). The shadows cast on shoji doors belong to men in interesting poses.
Pine tree
Uguisu (Japanese bush warbler) on a plum branch
Salt-dried fish
Kettle
Hawk
Stone lantern
Goose on a rock
[Related: Joge-e: Two-way pictures]
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my love for hiroshige continues to grow, these are hilarious & incredible
Shadow pictures…
Over at Pink Tentacle are some interesting examples of a Japanese art form that I hadn’t heard of before: Kage-e, or shadow pictures. These prints consist of two parts: a shadow image, which would typically hint at the shape of…
[…] style of Kage’e or shadow print, something I hadn’t seen before i stumbled on the post Kage-e: Shadow pictures over at the Pink Tentacle blog. You can see more shadow prints at that […]
[…] Vía PinkTentacle […]
[…] Kage-e 是一种来自日本的影子画艺术，有点类似于幼童玩的猜谜识物游戏，与之不同在于Kage-e 影子后面藏起来的有一些是民间传说中的妖怪。例如，第一组图中，影子看上去是金鱼，而实际上是日本狸猫睾丸。via […]
The racoon one reminds me of Pom Poko!
[…] 发现地：LINK 0 Loading … 分类：创意生活 | 标签：影子,影子画,画,艺术 […]
[…] Demencial :);):P Anotación al margen: La imagen proviene de Pink Tentacle y forma parte de un post sobre imágenes kage-e o pinturas sombra, una especie de imágenes broma donde primero aparece una figura que parece la sombra de algo […]
江戸時代の影絵いろいろ…
金魚と魚？
と思いきや、狸のキ_タマの下敷きにされている人だったり。
江戸時代にも優秀なクリエーターがいたようです。
Kage-e: Shadow pictures [via Pink Tentacle]
……