Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, "Torii Suneemon Katsutaka"

In the battle of Nagashino in 1575, the forces of the Takeda clan were roundly defeated by Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu, an episode that would eventually pave the way for the unification of Japan under Oda Nobunaga. Here, the hero Torii Suneemon Katsutaka is shown battling through enemy territory under heavy projectile fire to seek reinforcements for Nobunaga. Note the herons in the design, which in Japan symbolizes the link between the divine and earth.

Yoshitoshi's "Twenty-Four Accomplishments in Imperial Japan" was a series of works produced between 1881-1887 depicting various notable leaders from Japan's long, storied history. The poems at the top of the compositions are by Ryutei Tanehiko. Tokaido Arts is pleased to present the full series of works from the second printing ca. 1893 following Yoshitoshi's death in 1892.

Series: Twenty-Four Accomplishments in Imperial Japan
Date: ca. 1881
Size: Oban 
Publisher: Matsuki Heikichi
Condition: Original album backing; otherwise excellent color and condition
Frame Shown: 16" x 24” x 1/2”, Classic Walnut, Clear Walnut

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839-1892) was a master painter and woodblock print artist whose works have made an indelible mark on Japanese art and design to this day. His most famous series, "One Hundred Aspects of the Moon," comprise some of Yoshitoshi's best known designs.