Yoshitoshi 芳年: Kumawakamaru and Priest Beg for the Return of the Ship that would Strand them in Exile

Hino Kumawakamaru and Priest Daizenbo beg for the return of a ship that is about to strand them in exile. The story is from the 14th c. Taiheiki, and concerns the revenge the boy has just taken following the execution of his father.  The elderly priest stands with his hands in a prayerful position, Buddhist beads clasped within them. The young boy beside him also reaches for the ship in a rather heartbreaking gesture. In the story, the ship actually turns around and takes the boy safely home to Echigo Province.  They stand within in a cloud-edged backdrop that bears a fabric-like design, giving the work the feeling of happening away in far history. It is a bold graphic choice that feels decades ahead of its time graphically. From an early edition, as noted by the two-color cartouche as well as the overall printing quality and coloration.