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Secondary sourcePaintingc. 1843

Qin Emperor Sends Xu Fu's Ships for the Elixir of Immortality

Utagawa Kuniyoshi · c. 1843

A 19th-century Japanese woodblock print imagining Qin Shi Huang's legendary quest for the elixir of immortality.

Depicts the legend of Qin Shi Huang's search for immortality through Xu Fu's expedition.

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Triptych woodblock print of ornate Japanese-style ships on blue waves. Left ship has a robed figure pointing from its stern, a yellow sail with dragon motifs, and red railings. Center ship has a large fierce lion-like figurehead, and colorful floral sails. Right ship has a red and gold cabin with a teal roof, flags, and crowded deck. Mount Fuji is visible at the horizon on the left.
Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Qin Emperor Sends Xu Fu's Ships for the Elixir of Immortality, c. 1843.

About this source

What it is

This is a triptych woodblock print made around 1843 by the Japanese artist Utagawa Kuniyoshi. It shows ornate ships sailing on the sea, with Mount Fuji visible in the distance, illustrating the legend of ships sent to find the elixir of immortality for the Chinese emperor.

Why it matters

Qin Shi Huang was famously obsessed with living forever and reportedly sent expeditions, including one led by Xu Fu, to find an elixir of immortality. This print, made many centuries later in Japan, shows how far and long this legend traveled, and how later artists imagined distant history in their own artistic style.

Look closer

  • Why might a Japanese artist in the 1800s choose to depict a Chinese emperor's legend?
  • What details in the print seem fantastical rather than historical?
  • How does this image differ from a source made during Qin Shi Huang's own lifetime?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Emperor Qin Shi Huang on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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