42 Kawanabe Kyōsai 1831 – 1889 The Wealthy Fool

from the series Kyōsai Hyakuzu (One Hundred Pictures by Kyōsai)
publisher: Okura Magobei (Okuraya)

A biting social satire from Kyōsai’s celebrated series Kyōsai Hyakuzu, depicting a conceited rich man being served sake in self-indulgent idleness. The scene symbolizes spiritual emptiness and moral hypocrisy among the affluent classes.

Kyōsai masterfully fuses grotesque humor with precise draftsmanship, balancing caricature and social critique.
Through his keen observation and playful exaggeration, he transforms moral commentary into visual wit — making this work one of the finest examples of his humorous yet penetrating social criticism.