Utagawa Kuniyoshi, "Akashi Ridayu Hidemoto"

A General in Akechi Mitsuhide's clan, Akashi Ridayu Hidemoto (Akashi Gidayu) and his forces disguised themselves as peasants and lead an assault on Toyotomi Hideyoshi's forces. Roundly defeated, Gidayu would later commit seppeku as atonement. Here Gidayu is shown in a fierce pose with a straw coat, hat, and a large hoe fashioned into a weapon.

Kuniyoshi's Taiheiki eiyu den chronicles the period of civil war in 16th century Japan in the years leading up to the unification of Japan under the Tokugawa Shogunate. Composed of fifty woodblock prints, Kuniyoshi's Taiheiki contains some of the artist's most iconic designs. The historical names (in parentheses) of the figures depicted have been altered to avoid censorship during the Edo-period.

Series: Heroes of the Grand Pacification (Taiheiki)
Date: 1848
Size: Oban
Publisher: Yamamoto-ya Heikichi
Condition: Small stain bottom edge, binding holes on left, otherwise excellent color and condition
Frame Shown: 16" x 24" x 1/2", Classic Wood, Ebony Walnut

Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798-1861) is one of Japan's greatest masters of ukiyo-e printmaking from the Edo period. Many of Kuniyoshi's works are regarded today as archetypes of woodblock prints produced during the Edo period and highly prized by collectors.