Utagawa Sadahide, "Fuji no Makigari"

A marvelously grand and chaotic triptych by Utagawa Sadahide shows the famous Fuji no Makigari hunt arranged at the foot of Mount Fuji by Minamoto no Yoritomo in 1193 for one month. The purpose of the hunt was for Yoritomo to test his military strength while demonstrating his authority as the first shogun of the Kamakura period. It was on the last day of the hunt that the Soga Brothers exacted their revenge on Yoritomo by killing his vassal Kudo Suketsune. The hunt and the tale of the Soga Brothers became legend. 

Date: 1848
Size: Oban Triptych
Publisher: Yamaguchiya Tobei
Condition: Thinning and light trimming, but otherwise very good condition

Utagawa Sadahide (1807-1879) is renowned for his Yokohama-e prints depicting foreigners in Japan. His sweeping landscape works of mountain ranges and Edo-period towns are some of his most popular and sought after works today by collectors.