A large octopus is encircled by a huge rosary held by various bizarre creatures. Colour woodcut by Kyōsai, 1864.

The significance of the rosary could be interpreted as either endless repetition, or the turning of the Buddhist rosary to gain a spiritual merit

The octopus only has five tentacles, which represent the five powers (Great Britain, the Netherlands, France, Russia and the USA), with whom unfavourable trading relations had recently (1858) been established; the figures seated around the octopus represent the divergent political interests in Japan that had prevented a powerful, unified response to the threat represented by the powers

Edo [Tokyo] : [publisher not identified], 1864.

3 prints : woodcuts, triptych printed in colours

Seisei Kyōsai-giga Bears publisher's mark and censor's seal Artist's signature also bears the seal 'seisei' The text on the blank round faces of the figures in the back of the print on the centre leaf reads 'It's a nonsense picture that looks like a puzzle picture. Hooray!

'One hundred comic turns of the rosary' from the set 'One hundred wildnesses' by Kyōsai

Tim Clark, Demon of painting: the art of Kawanabe Kyōsai, British Museum Press, 1993, pp. 118-119

Wellcome Collection 37699i