"Kappa Kappas - Large Gouache By Rakuichi Hagiwara 1925-2007 #946"
A struggling engraver, from 1945 onwards he specialized in depicting kappas, small Japanese demons. His studio was located on Kappabashi Bridge (the Kappa Bridge) in Tokyo. He attempted suicide, and his joyful and playful kappa paintings were born from his suffering. He belongs to the generation that initiated the Kawaii (cute) movement. The kappas, ancestrally malevolent spirits (they love to devour unwary children on the banks of rivers or lakes, and impregnate young girls), are always represented here as cute little pets. They have a kind of halo (which contains water and gives them their strength). There is some damp foxing. There is no glass. Its large size requires transport.