men (male humans); women; kimonos; military uniforms; chairs; daises; fans (costume accessories); hair ornaments; drums (membranophones); flowers (plants); vases
The emperor and empress sit on the dais in the background overseeing the presentation of the Emperor's Gift Cups to military leaders involved in quelling Saigu's Satsuma Rebellion. Yamagata Aritomo, Commander of the Imperial Army in Kyushu, is...
men (male humans); women; Japanese maple; kimonos; mountains; trees; biwa
Fujiwara no Moronaga (1137-1192) was famous as a lute or biwa musician but unfortunate in his political career, as he kept running afoul of Taira no Kiyomori, who first exiled him in 1165 to Kyushu for 8 years and then in 1179 to Owari Province...
The alleged poisoning of the great warrior Kato Kiyomasa (1562-1611) was the subject of a kabuki play that premiered in 1807, but due to government censorship at the time, the main character's name was changed Sato Masakiyo. According to legend,...
men (male humans); women; swords; military uniforms; hats; costume
The theatrical traditions of kabuki were challenged by modernization, and new topics were introduced to the stage in the 1870's. Here Chikanobu provides advertisement for a play about the popular hero Saigo Takamori (1827-1877), who had just been...
men (male humans); women; kimonos; trees; flowers (plants); mountains; gardens; Single Built Works; fusuma
Kato Shigeuji, the military governor / daimyo of Chikuzen Province in northern Kyushu, became disillusioned with the sensual world and sought spiritual refuge on Mt. Koya, a monastic center on the main island of Honshu. Although he abandoned his...
men (male humans); women; children (people by age group); kimonos; calligraphy; trees; built works; shores (landforms)
The courtier Suguwara no Michizane (845-903) was unjustly forced from office in Kyoto and sent into exile at Dazaifu, in northern Kyushu. There Michizane taught local children “the secrets of calligraphy,” which became the title of the popular...
men (male humans); women; swords; flowers; warriors
The warrior Minamoto no Tametomo (1139-1170) in his youth was sent to Higo on the island of Kyushu where he terrorized people with his violent temper. Later he became a famous archer, celebrated in the 13th century history Hogen monogatari as a...
An image of a warrior with sword and bow and arrows in the foreground, looking back at human/demon forms dancing in the background. Minamoto no Tametomo was, like Oniwaka/Benkei (7), an extremely violent youth. By the time he was fifteen he is...
An image of a warrior with sword and bow and arrows in the foreground, looking back at human/demon forms dancing in the background. Minamoto no Tametomo was, like Oniwaka/Benkei (7), an extremely violent youth. By the time he was fifteen he is...
mythology (literary genre); children (people by age group); men (male humans); mirrors; robes (main garments); hats; kimonos; supernatural
An image of a child watching a scene in a mirror, held by a demon. Back to back print. As Michizane was about to die, he ascended Mt. Tempai in Kyushu to declare his innocence of political corruption charges and to beseech the gods to clear his...
legends (folk tales); men (male humans); mountains
A man in black robes with wind-blown hair and holding a staff evokes a storm as lightening flashes about him. Back to back print. As a scholar and poet Michizane (845-902) was the chief advisor to Emperor Uda (867-931, ruled 887-897) but was...
legends (folk tales); robes (main garments); children (people by age group); boys; sandals
Back to back print. A man in a priest's robes and headdress cups the chin of a young boy standing beside him; a rosary dangles from his right wrist. The boy, dressed in traveling clothes, grasps the priest's wrist and lays his face in the man's...
men (male humans); soldiers; military uniforms; swords; hats;
With the Satsuma Rebellion in Kyushu capturing the country's attention in 1877, Tokyo publishers were quick to provide more background materials about Saigo and his men, such as this scene from a dramatic meeting in 1873 when Saigo quit the...
