The warrior Kato Kiyomasa stands looking back at the burning Fushimi castle. He is dressed in full armor, with a naginata in his hand; beside him his horse, which he holds by the cheek strap of the bridle, moves restively. Behind him a pine tree is...
women; men (male humans); kimonos; lanterns (lighting devices); waterfalls (natural bodies of water); hats; pipes (smoking equipment); sandals; Japanese maple; built works; palanquins
The Nikko area in the mountains north of Edo/Tokyo is famous for autumn colors and for the many waterfalls that feed into Lake Chuzenji. In this view Hannya is on the right and the higher Hoto at left. Chikanobu shows two elegantly dressed ladies,...
women; men (male humans); oxen; landscapes (representations); trees
An ox, carrying bales of rice, loses it's footing on a mountain road and begins to fall over the edge. Ueno, the wife of Shimizu, the provincial governor of Kazusa, with a superhuman effort pulls the heavily burdened beast back on to the roadway;...
legends (folk tales); women; men (male humans); kimonos; lanterns (lighting devices); children (people by age group); tables (support furniture); arches
The Nabeshima family, daimyo of Hizen Province, continued to be plagued by a cat monster (see Plates 34-35). According to legend, the mistress of the Lord of Saga Castle was killed by a cat monster that possessed her body and then slowly drained...
On the beach of Yashima, an island off Shikoku, Minamoto Yoshitsune's forces did battle with the Taira on 24 March 1185. When the governor of Noto Province, Taira no Noritsune (1160-1185), raised his bow to shoot Yoshitsune, the brothers Sato...
The oldest known Japanese narrative, this sad fairy tale dates back to the 9th or 10th century. In this tale Kaguya-hime was found inside a bamboo stalk by a bamboo cutter, who took her home and raised her as his daughter. As she grew up the fame...
An image of a rat. Raigo was a stern man, a priest whose duties included maintaining discipline among the acolytes of Mii Temple. A member of the influential Fujiwara family, he became spiritual adviser to Emperor Shirakawa (reigned 1072-86). ...
women; children (people by age group); kimonos; sandals; hairstyles; fences
As evening begins to fall, four children are playing outside a fenced compound by casting shadows in the moonlight. The pudgy boy in a light-weight cotton robe / yukata seems almost surprised by his hand shape on the ground. While his two older...
To help her husband Nagoya Sanza, Iwahashi sold herself into prostitution, becoming a prestigious courtesan by the name of "Katsuragi." Despite her fame and fortune, she still loved Sanza and is shown here thinking of him as cherry blossoms fall...
In the 11th century novel Tale of Genji, the Third Princess, young wife of the middle age Prince Genji, ventures to the verandah of her quarters to observe some courtiers playing kickball / kemari. Although she is supposed to stay hidden behind...
