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YannickBouchard β Onna-bugeisha
Published: 2013-01-02 22:03:27 +0000 UTC; Views: 31495; Favourites: 1058; Downloads: 1183
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Description
This was originally an oil painting, but I was very displeased with the sheen of it, and the photograph I took of it showed a lot of undesired reflection, so I had to do a lot of digital touching up. This was meant to be a sort of experiment as well, as I wanted to add patterns of Japanese dragons and flowers with a gold pen, which I decided would be superficial in the end, as I thought it would distract from the main subject.Onna-bugeisha is a term I just learned when searching for a title. It means in Japanese "woman-warrior", and I couldn't have asked for a more fitting title.
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Comments: 75
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There actually were Onna-bugeisha Β in ancient Japan. They were trained and highly valuable in communities where male warriors were few.
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No problem!
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Thank you very much!
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Well, I don't know what to say to that!
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Beautiful pose and execution! The shine on the upper body is really amazing. I thought I was looking at a photograph!
...That being said, I feel a little bad telling you that the title dooooesn't exactly match the picture.
Hear me out. "Onna-bugeisha" does translate to something like "woman warrior" and, in fact, onna-bugeisha have been called female samurai in English. However... No warrior or member of the samurai class would ever have tattoos. As far back as 600 AD, tattoos in Japan have had a typically negative connotation and have even been used to mark criminals. This is why many Japanese bathhouses will actually refuse admittance of tattooed customers, for the stigma of criminality. Hence, a woman of honor, an onna-bugeisha, would never ever have any sort of tattoo on her.
I'm only telling you this because the discord between the picture and the title weirds me out. Everything about the piece itself is amazing.
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Thanks, I'm glad you like the pic, and thanks for sharing your opinion on the title. About that, I wasn't trying to depict anything historically accurate at all. As a matter of fact, I intentionally mixed details of modern fashion with more traditional elements. I wanted the feminine aspect of a geisha, with the big extravagant hair, combine with the strength of a warrior, with the samurai sword. Add to the mix red dreads, tattooed back, red and black nail polish and ear gauges and you have a sort of punky-samurai-woman.
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Ah, I see! The juxtaposition of elements is very nice indeed now that I notice all the other modern elements. Thanks for taking the time to reply back
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You're welcome! Thanks to you!
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your much deserved welcome:3
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Well, thank you!
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Perfect art work! Simply stunning pose and amazing coloring. My jaw has dropped when i saw the pic! Well done!
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Thank you so much!
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You outdid yourself with the realism here especially the red cloth!
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Thank you so much!
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The balance on this is just about perfect, so I commend your use of the term 'Onna-bugeisha'.
For some reason I keep looking at the placement of the foot. Very warrior-like! All in all, just fantastic 
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Thank you so very much!
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Didn't even see it was a painting until leaned in closer to look at the tattoo
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