Utagawa Kuniyoshi, "Fujiwara no Masakiyo"

Fujiwara no Masayiko (Kato Kiyomasa) served under Toyotomi Hideyoshi and participated in the campaign to defeat Akechi Mitsuhide. He is most remembered for being one of three generals leading Hideyoshi's campaign in Korea (1592-1598). Here Masayiko is at the height of his glory during the campaign and sits on a stool on the shores of Korea while gazing at the peak of Mt. Fuji, longing to return home. Two Orangai natives, from the northern part of Manchuria, are shown at his feet and are depicted by Kuniyoshi using a stylized "Western" form. A rare and scarce design from the series.

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: Light trimming, binding holes on right, 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.