TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Taiwanese artist by the name of Shaogao (囂搞) sold a Non-Fungible Token (NFT) for over 2 Ether, or roughly NT$205,000 (US$7,408), on Friday (Dec. 31).
The NFT, named “Wise Samurai” (“般若武士”), depicts a cartoon samurai with a red Oni mask (a demon in Japanese folklore) on his shoulder. The artwork was sold to a bidder on the world’s second-largest NFT platform within one week, according to a report by Apple Daily.
After releasing the NFT on Open Sea, Shaogao posted about it on his Facebook page, which has over 900,000 followers. Shaogao described the artwork as having symbolic meaning and a representation of human nature.
“The mask is designed to empower the warrior to conquer evil with evil, and is a manifestation of human nature’s different expressions of good and evil,” the post said.
“Amidst the impermanence of this world, it serves as a reminder not to turn evil by losing one’s sense of sincerity,” he wrote.
The artist claims to have over 3 million fans across multiple platforms, with most being based in Taiwan, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Macau, and North America. Shaogao was once dubbed the “Most Popular Illustrator” on MeiPai App, a top video messaging app in China.