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Japan / China: Lu Zhishen, the Tattooed Priest (Kaoshô Rochishin) Utagawa Kunisada I (Toyokuni III), 1786-1865

Japan / China: Lu Zhishen, the Tattooed Priest (Kaoshô Rochishin) Utagawa Kunisada I (Toyokuni III), 1786-1865

Lu Zhishen, nicknamed 'Flowery Monk', is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He is the lead character in the first major story cycle of the novel, in which he comes to epitomise loyalty, strength, justice but also brashness. He ranks 13th of the 36 Heavenly Spirits of the 108 Liangshan heroes.

Utagawa Kunisada (Japanese: 歌川 国貞; also known as Utagawa Toyokuni III (三代歌川豊国); 1786 – 12 January 1865) was the most popular, prolific and financially successful designer of ukiyo-e woodblock prints in 19th-century Japan. In his own time, his reputation far exceeded that of his contemporaries, Hokusai, Hiroshige and Kuniyoshi.

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