Utagawa Yoshitora, "Kikuchi Takanao Ambushes a General"

Set during the Genpei War (1180 -1185), this striking design shows Kikuchi Takanao preparing to ambush a general in the Taira Clan in the dead of night. In the background, we see a mass of Taira clan soldiers gathering, while Takanao prepares for a calculated strike. A wonderfully detailed composition.

Date: 1857
Size: Oban Triptych
Publisher: Iseyoshi
Condition: Wormholes on edges, otherwise excellent color and condition

Utagawa Yoshitora (1836-1880) was a pupil of Utagawa Kuniyoshi whose later works focused on documenting the modernization of the Meiji-period and of his woodblock prints of foreigners (or Yokohama-e).