The image tradition, plate by plate
50 plates from 17 open collections, localised and encoded, with the holding record beside each one. Nothing here is our reconstruction of what the game will look like: these are the pictures people actually made, sold, copied and hung on their doors, and the wording that survived with them.
Three marks carry the weight. Confirmed Confirmed is a record that states the artist plainly; Attributed Attributed is a record that hedges, and we print the hedge in its own words; Reported Reported is an old ascription (相传) that no catalogue supports. A dating is only shown when we hold the snapshot that states it: 28 of 50 plates have an anchored date, and the rest show their dynasty credit alone.
50 plates shipped
63 catalogued in total
17 holding collections
7 era credits represented
Honolulu Museum of Art
7 plates
-
Shoki, the Demon Queller
《钟馗》（Oishi Yoshio，18世纪后期）
Oishi Yoshio (named in the record's own description; its Artist field reads only 'Hiart', the uploader's account) Attributed Attributed
Edo / Meiji period
Woodblock print or painting (per record)
holding record CC0
-
Shoki Quelling Two Demons
《钟馗制二鬼》（柴田是真，约1873-1891）
Shibata Zeshin (1807-1891) Confirmed Confirmed
Edo / Meiji period · dated c. 1873-1891
Woodblock print or painting (per record)
holding record Public domain
-
Shoki the Demon Queller
《钟馗》（奥村政信，约1745）
Okumura Masanobu (1686-1764) Confirmed Confirmed
Edo / Meiji period · dated c. 1745
Woodblock print or painting (per record)
holding record Public domain
-
Shoki the Demon Queller
《钟馗》（歌川广重，1847-1852）
Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858) Confirmed Confirmed
Edo / Meiji period · dated 1847-1852
Woodblock print or painting (per record)
holding record Public domain
-
Shoki Carrying a Young Girl
《钟馗负少女图》（铃木春信，约1765）
Suzuki Harunobu 鈴木春信 (1725?-1770) Confirmed Confirmed
Edo / Meiji period · dated c. 1765
Woodblock print or painting (per record)
holding record Public domain
-
Shoki, The Demon Queller
《钟馗》（日本19世纪前期，佚名）
an anonymous early 19th century Japanese artist Confirmed Confirmed
Edo / Meiji period
Woodblock print or painting (per record)
holding record Public domain
-
Zhong Kui and Demons
《钟馗与小鬼》（华嵒，扇面）
Hua Yan (1682-1756) Confirmed Confirmed
Qing · dated 18th century
Ink and colour on paper, fan
holding record Public domain
,_18th_century_Chinese_(Qing_dynasty).jpg)
National Palace Museum, Taipei
6 plates
-
Zhong Kui Marrying Off His Sister (handscroll)
《钟馗嫁妹图》卷（传宋 苏汉臣）
Attributed to Su Hanchen Attributed Attributed
Attributed Song; the digitised roll is argued to be late Ming
Handscroll; ink on paper
holding record Public domain
-
Chung K'uei Escorting His Sister's Wedding Procession
《钟馗送嫁图》卷（传元 王振鹏）
Attributed to Wang Zhenpeng Attributed Attributed
Attributed Yuan
Handscroll; ink on paper
holding record Public domain
-
Zhong Kui (hanging scroll)
《钟馗图》轴（钱谷，1567）
Qian Gu (1508-after 1578) Confirmed Confirmed
Ming · dated 1567 (隆庆元年, per the file name)
Hanging scroll; light colour on paper
holding record Public domain
-
Zhong Kui in a Wintry Grove (Hanlin Zhong Kui)
《寒林钟馗》（文徵明）
Wen Zhengming 文徵明 (1470-1559) Confirmed Confirmed
Ming · dated Ming dynasty
Hanging scroll; ink on paper
holding record Public domain
-
Zhong Kui Seeking Plum Blossoms
《钟馗探梅图》轴（金廷标）
Jin Tingbiao (d. 1767) Confirmed Confirmed
Qing · dated 18th century
Hanging scroll; ink and colour on paper
holding record Public domain
-
Zhong Kui Welcoming the New Year
《岁朝钟馗图》轴（张仲学）
Zhang Zhongxue Confirmed Confirmed
Qing
Hanging scroll; ink on paper
holding record Public domain
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
6 plates
-
Daikoku and Shoki Playing Shogi
《大黑与钟馗对弈图》（奥村利信）
Okumura Toshinobu (active 1717-1750) Confirmed Confirmed
Edo period · dated circa 1730
Woodblock print (surimono)
holding record CC0
-
Shoki, the Demon Queller
《钟馗》（葛饰北斋，1790）
Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) Confirmed Confirmed
Edo period · dated dated 1790 (record verbatim)
Hanging scroll; paint on silk
holding record CC0
-
Shoki, the Demon Queller
《钟馗》（葛饰北斋，1849）
Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) Confirmed Confirmed
Late Edo period · dated 1849
Hanging scroll; ink and colour on paper
holding record CC0
-
Red Shoki, the Demon Queller
《红钟馗图》（葛饰北斋，1847）
Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) Confirmed Confirmed
Late Edo period · dated dated 1847 (record verbatim)
Hanging scroll; paint on silk
holding record CC0
-
Zhong Kui
《钟馗》轴（任颐，1883）
Ren Yi (Ren Bonian) 任頤 (1840-1896) Confirmed Confirmed
Qing · dated 1883
Hanging scroll
holding record CC0
-
The Demon Queller Zhong Kui Giving His Sister Away in Marriage
《钟馗嫁妹图》卷（颜庚，南宋/元）
Yan Geng 顏庚 (name as the museum record's file title has it) Confirmed Confirmed
Southern Song / Yuan
Handscroll; ink and colour on paper
holding record CC0
The Palace Museum, Beijing
6 plates
-
Zhong Kui (hanging scroll)
《钟馗图》轴（张风，1645）
Zhang Feng Confirmed Confirmed
Ming
Hanging scroll
holding record Public domain
-
The Night Excursion of Zhong Kui (Zhong Kui ye you tu)
《钟馗夜游图》轴（款「西湖戴进」，钤「静庵」）
Dai Jin 戴进 (1388-1462) Confirmed Confirmed
Ming (1368-1644) · dated 15th century
Hanging scroll; ink and colours on silk · 纵190厘米，横120.4厘米 (h 190 cm x w 120.4 cm, as the Palace Museum record states it)
holding record Public domain
-
Zhong Kui in the Willow Shade
《柳荫钟馗》轴（赵修禄）
Zhao Xiulu (as titled in the museum record) Confirmed Confirmed
Ming (catalogued under Ming paintings)
Hanging scroll
holding record Public domain
-
Zhong Kui Giving His Sister Away in Marriage (satin fan)
《钟馗嫁妹》纨扇页（许良标）
Xu Liangbiao Confirmed Confirmed
Qing
Fan painting on satin
holding record Public domain
-
Drunk Zhong Kui (fan leaf)
《醉钟馗》扇页（钱杜）
Qian Du (c. 1764-1844) Confirmed Confirmed
Qing
Fan leaf; ink and colour on paper
holding record Public domain
-
Zhong Kui painted by the Shunzhi Emperor
《钟馗》（顺治皇帝，据《清史图典》）
Fulin (1638-1661), or the Shunzhi Emperor of the Qing dynasty Attributed Attributed
Qing · dated Mid-seventeenth century
Painting
holding record Public domain
Freer Gallery of Art / Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian, Washington DC
5 plates
-
Zhong Kui and Demons Crossing a Bridge
《钟馗渡桥图》（传戴进）
Unknown artist, attributed to Dai Jin (1388-1462) Attributed Attributed
Ming · dated 16th century
Hanging scroll; ink and colour
holding record Public domain
-
Zhong Kui, the Demon Queller, Patrolling the Palace
《钟馗巡宫图》（洪悟空）
Hongwu (active 1751-1792) Confirmed Confirmed
Qing · dated late 18th century
Hanging scroll
holding record Public domain
-
Zhong Kui and his Assistants Under Willows
《柳荫钟馗》（费丹旭，1832）
Fei Danxu (1801-1850) Confirmed Confirmed
Qing · dated 1832
Hanging scroll; ink and colour
holding record Public domain
-
Zhong Kui Traveling - cropped section of the Zhongshan Going on Excursion handscroll
《中山出游图》分段高清（钟馗登舆段）
Attributed to Gong Kai 龔開 (1222-1307) Attributed Attributed
Yuan · dated late 13th - early 14th century
Handscroll section; ink on paper
holding record Public domain
-
Zhongshan Going on Excursion (Zhong Kui and his sister carried in sedan chairs)
《中山出游图》卷（钟馗与妹同乘肩舆，小鬼随侍）
Attributed to Gong Kai 龔開 (1222-1307) Attributed Attributed
Yuan (1271-1368) / handscroll transmitted in later copies · dated late 13th - early 14th century (Commons DateTimeOriginal verbatim)
Handscroll; ink and colour on paper
holding record Public domain
Shanghai Museum
4 plates
-
Zhong Kui, Gu embroidery (Gu xiu)
《顾绣钟馗像》
Gu school embroidery (佚名顾绣) Reported Reported
Ming (1368-1644)
Embroidered silk (顾绣)
holding record Public domain
-
Drunk Zhong Kui
《醉钟馗图》轴（罗聘）
Luo Ping (1733-1799) Confirmed Confirmed
Qing · dated 清朝 (per the record)
Hanging scroll
holding record Public domain
-
Zhong Kui and Spiders
《钟馗与蜘蛛》（Zhou Xun）
Zhou Xun (1649-1729) Confirmed Confirmed
Qing
Hanging scroll
holding record Public domain
-
Portrait of Zhong Kui
《钟馗像》轴（方薰）
Fang Xun (1736-1799) Confirmed Confirmed
Qing (1636-1912) · dated Qing dynasty (1636-1912)
Hanging scroll
holding record Public domain
Collection not stated in the record
3 plates
-
Zhong Kui, from Xin ke chu xiang zeng bu Sou shen ji
《新刻出像增补搜神记》钟馗像（1600）
Anonymous (book illustration, Hui-school woodblock) Reported Reported
Ming
Woodblock-printed book illustration
holding record Public domain
-
Zhong Kui, from San jiao yuan liu sou shen da quan
《三教源流搜神大全》钟馗像
(uploader of the scan: '唐吉訶德的侍從'); the depicted print is anonymous Reported Reported
Ming (compiler's text)
Woodblock-printed book illustration
holding record CC0
-
Zhong Kui
《钟馗》（闵贞，1776）
Min Zhen (閔貞), also known as Zheng Zhai (正齋) Confirmed Confirmed
Qing
Ink and colour on paper
holding record Public domain
British Museum, London
2 plates
-
Shoki drives out evil spirits instantly (Zhong Kui san xie gui ji gong)
《钟馗散邪鬼に即功》（歌川国芳，1858）
Print artist: Utagawa Kuniyoshi; Published by: Enshuya Matabei; Author: Umenoya Kakuju Confirmed Confirmed
Late Edo period
Polychrome woodblock print
holding record Public domain
-
Zhong Kui (hanging scroll)
《钟馗》轴（吕学）
Lü Xue 呂學 Confirmed Confirmed
Ming / 17th century
Hanging scroll; ink and colours on silk
holding record Public domain
Philadelphia Museum of Art
2 plates
-
Zhong Kui Appreciating Plum Blossom
《钟馗赏梅图》（18世纪，佚名）
Anonymous Confirmed Confirmed
Qing
Painting
holding record Public domain
-
Zhong Kui, the Demon Queller (after Liu Songnian)
《钟馗骑牛图》（仿刘松年）
Unknown artist, after Liu Songnian (Chinese, c. 1150 - died after 1225) Attributed Attributed
Qing copy after a Song model · dated 17th century
Album leaf / hanging scroll
holding record Public domain
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
1 plate
-
Zhong Kui the Demon Queller with Five Bats
《钟馗与五蝠图》（旧传吴伟）
Anonymous; traditionally attributed to Wu Wei (1459-1508) Attributed Attributed
Ming · dated 16-17th century
Hanging scroll; ink and colour on paper
holding record Public domain
Matsumoto City Museum of Art
1 plate
-
Zhong Kui (Shoki)
《钟馗图》（铃木鹅湖，安政三年 1856）
Suzuki Gako (record gives the name only as 鈴木鵞湖) Confirmed Confirmed
Late Edo period
Hanging scroll; ink and colour
holding record Public domain
Minneapolis Institute of Art
1 plate
-
Shoki, the Demon Queller
《钟馗》（山口素偕）
Yamaguchi Sekkei Confirmed Confirmed
Edo period
Hanging scroll
holding record Public domain
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
1 plate
-
Zhong Kui, the demon queller
《钟馗驱邪图》（16世纪，佚名）
Anonymous Confirmed Confirmed
Ming
Painting
holding record Public domain
National Museum in Warsaw
1 plate
-
Zhong Kui - the demon queller
《钟馗》（顺治皇帝，传）
Shunzhi Emperor (r. 1644-1661) Attributed Attributed
Qing · dated between 1644 and 1661
Painting
holding record Public domain
Princeton University Art Museum
1 plate
-
Zhong Kui
《钟馗图》（闵贞）
Min Zhen 閔貞 (1730-after 1791) Confirmed Confirmed
Qing · dated Undated
Ink and colour on paper
holding record Public domain
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
1 plate
-
Shoki, the tormentor of demons
《钟馗》（荷兰国家博物馆藏日本版画）
Rijksmuseum (artist unspecified in the record) Reported Reported
Edo period
Print (prent)
holding record CC0
The State Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg
1 plate
-
Zhong Kui, woodblock print
《钟馗五蝠五毒》木版年画（佚名）
Anonymous Confirmed Confirmed
Qing / early Republic
New Year woodblock print (xylograph), colour on paper
holding record Public domain
Tokyo National Museum
1 plate
-
Extermination of Evil - Shoki (Zaō shōki emaki)
「Extermination of Evil - Shoki」钟馗退治邪鬼图（日方通称《退治邪鬼図》绘卷）
Unknown artist Confirmed Confirmed
Heian period
Handscroll (emaki); colour on paper
holding record Public domain
Catalogued, not shipped
13 records in the catalogue carry no localised file: the scan is behind an institution viewer, the licence line on the page does not state an open licence, or the resolution is too low to say anything a reader could check. They are listed so that the gap is visible rather than quietly absent, and each links to the record we read.
-
Zhong Kui Marrying Off His Sister (temple mural, photographed) 《钟馗嫁妹》庙宇壁画（台湾保安宫，摄影件）
Contemporary · Taipei Bao-an Temple
record -
'Black Myth: Zhong Kui' - official announcement artwork, 15-minute gameplay trailer frames, screenshots 《黑神话：钟馗》官方宣传图、实机演示画面与截图
Contemporary · Game Science official channels
record -
The Spirit of the Doors (civil-official door gods) 《门神》木版年画（文官门神，非钟馗）
Late Qing / early Republic · Collection of Alexey Parygin (recorded on Commons)
record -
Shoki 《钟馗》（月冈芳年，存疑）
Meiji period · Unspecified
record -
The Night Excursion of Zhong Kui (alternative scan) 《钟馗夜游图》轴（另一扫描版）
Ming · The Palace Museum, Beijing
record -
Zhong Kui 《钟馗》（陈洪绶）
Ming · Unspecified
record -
Child giving a gift to Zhong Kui (photograph of a sculpture) 《童子献钟馗》雕塑摄影（香港艺术馆）
Modern sculpture · Hong Kong Museum of Art
record -
Zhong Kui (lower-resolution import) 《钟馗图》（任伯年，低清）
Qing · Unknown holding institution (imported from zh.wikipedia)
record -
Zhong Kui (private collection) 《钟馗》（闵贞，私人收藏）
Qing · Private collection (unspecified)
record -
Zhong Kui prototype ('Zhong Kui yang') created for Emperor Xuanzong, attributed to Wu Daozi 传吴道子《钟馗样》（明皇梦鬼题材之始，仅存文献，无实物）
Tang (as transmitted in Song records) · None — no surviving object
record -
New-Year door placement of the Zhong Kui image (textual record, no image) 钟馗张贴于门之记载（高承《事物纪原》）
Tang-Song · None
record -
Zhong Kui 《钟馗》（元代，日本和泉市久保惣纪念美术馆藏，日本重要文化财）
Yuan · Kuboso Memorial Museum of Arts, Izumi, Osaka
record -
Zhong Kui (detail after Gong Kai) 《钟馗》（龚开款局部，低清）
Yuan (after) · Unspecified
record
What the plates answer, and what they do not
This gallery exists because the game does not have a database yet. It answers one question well: what has Zhong Kui actually been made to look like, by whom, under which dynasty credit, and with what hedge in the catalogue entry. It does not answer what Game Science is drawing on. We have never seen their asset list, and a resemblance between a Ming demon-procession and a trailer frame is an observation about our pattern-matching, not evidence about their pipeline.
Where a plate is a copy after an earlier hand, the credit says so, because the copy is the object that survives and the original is a claim. Where an attribution is traditional rather than documented, the mark drops and the words 相传 stay in the caption. Last checked 23 Sep 2026.
Texts and the sources behind them What has been said about the game