This week's entry for
AlphaBeasts! is
Wanyūdō, a yokai that takes the shape of a flaming wheel bearing an anguished, disembodied face. If you come too close, it's likely to steal your soul & roll it back to Hell. I think the kids in the background are probably wise to keep their distance, but hey, I guess it
is "some tire"!
Acrylic on ad scanned from St. Nicholas Magazine, August 1920, ~6.5"x9"
edit:
Joey Weiser sent me a fabulous
YouTube clip of Gegege noKitaro featuring Wanyūdō!
edit #2:
EC Steiner (a.k.a. King Unicorn) sent
another Wanyūdō cameo, this time from The Great Yokai War! (The big wheel makes his appearance around 1:33.)
Before the modern motorcycle rim, there were wheels called 'Clincher Rims' in the teens that had a nasty habit of shedding the tire during a blowout, which meant the motorcyclist was probably going to end up on the ground. Most antique motorcycle owners will opt for safety over originality when it come to teens-era wheels and swap the scary rims for the modern safe ones. I don't know about this Wanyudo beast, but it sure reminded me of the scary clincher rims. ha.
ReplyDeleteWow. Some tire, I'll say!
ReplyDeleteI guess my face look like as on your picture, when I have to glue a flat tire for my son ( twice usually - you know - because it happens usually very shortly after the first one...)
ReplyDelete:(
( I hate repairing a flat tire, especially the rear wheel...
ReplyDeleteand that happens in the morning before they have to go to the school !!!)
I definitely want to stay clear of this one ! The colors are wonderful, as always. The fritter recipe is up.
ReplyDeleteFreaky! The facial expression is amazing
DeleteBut I'll always pretend that you're mine
ReplyDeleteI know that we both must part
You can live in my heart
You are right about this song!!! Thanks!!! ( i did not know it)
This is sooo awesome. I love all of it, the face, the ad, the story. Wonderful.
ReplyDeleteWonderful, indeed! The "found object" this week is a perfect fit and your careful rendering develops such a delightful interaction between the boy and this fiery spirit.
ReplyDeleteJoey found a great interpretation of the Wanyūdō, but here's another one you might like from The Great Yokai War: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaMS1x0YCZ0 (it appears shortly after the young hero runs off to find a bus).