『水滸伝』に登場する英傑、短命二郎こと阮小五は水練を得意とし兄弟と共に梁山泊の水軍を率いた。ここに描かれるのは、金沙潭にて敵船の大将を水中に引き込んで闘った彼の勇ましい姿である。
左脇に取り入れられた大胆な波紋の如き透かし彫りによって奥行きが生まれ、水面下での一幕であるということが巧みに表現されている。阮小五の身体を飾る豹の二重彫りにも着目されたし。伝統彫り物の雄として活躍する芳柳氏の豪快さと緻密さが両立された傑作であると言えよう。
Gen Shogo known as Tanmei Jiro, one of the heros in “Suikoden” excelled in swiming and led the navy of Ryozanpaku with his brothers. Here you can see the courageous figure of Gen Shogo pulling the general of the enemy ship into the water and fighting.
The bold sukashi-bori (transparent gaku) like ripples on the left side creates depth and skillfully expresses the fact that this is a scene under the water. Niju-bori (irezumi in irezumi) of the leopard that adorns Gen Shogo’s body should also be noted. This is a masterpiece of both boldness and precision by Houryu, a leading Japanese traditional tattooer.
阮小五は元々は貧しい村で兄弟と共に漁師として暮らしており、その荒くれた性格から「関わると命を縮める」とのことで短命二郎と渾名が付けられた。
しかし一方では極めて仲間想いであり、義侠心に溢れる男であった。梁山泊に頭領として迎え入れられてからは腐敗した権力を打倒すべく水軍の要として活躍し、多くの功績を残した。
Gen Shogo originally lived as a fisherman with his brothers in a poor village, and he was given the nickname “Tanmei Jiro” (short life second brother) because of his rough character which was said to shorten the lives of those involved with him.
But at the same time, he always put his companions first and was full of chivalry. After being welcomed as one of the chieftains of Ryozanpaku, he played a key role in the navy to overthrow the corrupt power and left many achievements.
