An eel slithers up to cups of sake placed at a river's edge, while a goldfish atop a rock bravely swings a makeshift sword, protecting his cowering charge. Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798-1861) caricatures multiple mythical and everyday scenes in his series The "Myriad Goldfish." This particular print illustrates an enactment of the slaying of Yamata no Orochi, a fearsome multi-headed serpent by the Shinto storm god, Susanoo, as described in the ancient Japanese text, the "Kojiki" (712).
Giga, a genre of farcical pictures of comical intent, has its origin in the Heian Period (794-1185) National Treasure "Scrolls of Frolicking Animals and Humans," attributed to Kakuyu (1053-1140), also known as Toba Sojo (Bishop of Toba). "Caricatures of the Edo Period" at the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts, however, has a narrower historical focus on the simply painted humorous pictures and illustrations, designated as toba-e, that became popular in Osaka (formerly Naniwa) in the 18th century.
The earliest paintings of the kind were on fans and wrapping cloths (fukusa), then, attesting to their popularity, in illustrated books. Osaka's toba-e influence flowed into the flowering of Edo Period (1603-1868) ukiyo-e print culture, and beyond, while latter day caricaturists paid tribute to their artistic predecessors.