The Soga Brothers were historical figures whose vow of revenge has resonated in kabuki and noh theaters for centuries. Juro Sukenari (1172-1193) and Goro Tokimune (1174-1193) were the children of Kawazu Sukeyasu, an ally of the Taira clan, who was...
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...
Three women in flowered kimonos sit around a koto, a form of 13-string zither. The girl on the left is removing the tsume, or picks, from a tasseled bag, and the girl in the middle placing them on her forefinger, middle finger, and thumb of the...
A girl and 7 women watch a performance of noh / no theater in which dancers dressed as 2 Chinese lions / Kara shishi frolic amidst peony flowers. Lion dances / shishi mai have a long history in China and Japan, often associated with protecting a...
women; kimonos; trees; flowers (plants); parasols; shores (landforms); children (people by age group); fishing; boats
Four women on a hillside overlook the pine-covered Ama-no-hashidate sand bar stretching into Miyazu Bay, considered one of Japan's three most scenic views. The woman standing on the left wears a black haori over a blue kimono and holds a closed...
men (male humans); battles; warriors; armor (protective wear); flames; balconies
he 1898 print set "Heike monogatari" published by Fukuda Hatsujiro was reissued in 1906 by Narasawa Kenjiro, evidently available with non-Heike or Genji warriors added, of which this is an example. This new collection has appeared under the title...
men (male humans); women; dresses (garments); hats; military uniforms; chairs; chandeliers; murals (any medium); vases
After the Meiji Restoration of 1868, Emperor Meiji moved the Imperial residence to Tokyo (formerly Edo) from Kyoto. Here Japanese men and women in European dress attend a banquet in the new Imperial Palace in Asakusa in 1888, a residence modeled on...
legends (folk tales); men (male humans); women; bats (animals); dresses (garments); bell (idiophone); edged weapons; armor (protective wear)
In the top panel two bats, one carrying an umbrella and a scarf and the other two swords, parody Act V from the play Chushingura, the murder of Yoichibei by Sadakuro during a thunderstorm. In the lower half, the monk Anchin hides in a bell to...
An image of a woman holding a severed head. The beautiful but evil woman who ruined a nation by seducing its ruler away from his duties was a familiar subject during certain periods of Chinese and Japanese history. In the popular imagination, the...
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...
figures (representations); men (male humans); dresses (garments); firefighters
A fireman (hikeshi), dressed in a heavy quilted jacket and trousers, rope sandals, and wearing a headband, holds the matoi -- a three-dimensional standard used for identification and communication -- for his brigade. A protective glove dangles from...
Between 1885 and 1892 Yoshitoshi published a series of 100 individual woodblock prints depicting figures from Japanese and Chinese legend, history, literature, and theater. These are the contents pages for the series, designed by the calligrapher,...
The arrival of Commodore Matthew Perry in June 1853 with his gunships and the negotiation of a commercial treaty with the west sharply divided Japanese society. Proponents of "Expelling the Barbarians," led by the daimyo of Mito, Tokugawa Nariaki,...
Four of the great Meiji Period kabuki actors are represented in this triptych. Nakamura Shikan IV (1830-1899) in the role of Takeda Shingen (1521-1573) is at far right, next to Ichikawa Danjuro IX (1839-1903) playing the part of Rakuganji...
Back to back print. A warrior in armor carries another across his back from the battlefield. The battle behind him is represented by black, swirling clouds and red flashes. Okubo Hikozaemon (1560-1639) was one of Tokugawa Ieyasu's trusted generals...
depictions; men (male humans); warriors; boats; robes (main garments); hats
Back to back print. In 1331, the Hojo clan exiled the Emperor Go-Daigo to Oki Island. In 1333 Go-Daigo escaped Oki in a fishing boat, landing eventually in Katami. Its lord, Nawa-no-Nagashige, was an adherent to the Imperial cause, who cordially...
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...
tables (support furniture); men (male humans); armchairs
Back to back print. Kibi Daijin sits on a tiger-pelt covered red chair at a red table, looking down at the top. The scholar Kibi no Mabi (693-775) was sent as an emissary to China by the Japanese emperor, but before he was allowed to present his...
history paintings; spears (weapons); executions (events)
The label on verso reads: "He entered into enemy castle as a spy, but was captured and crucified but continued to defend his master and spoke against his enemies til his last breath." - artist Nonin Ikkisai. In 1575 Horii Tsuneemon, a retainer of...
On a ribbon floating above a globe, the series title is presented in large characters / kanji, with the publisher's name on the right and the artist's name on the left. The sphere has lines suggesting longitude and latitude divisions, resembling a...
