Kunisada: Lady Yu, Chinese Warrior, Dressed for Battle and Holding a Weapon 楚項羽妻 虞氏

Artist: Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1865)
Title: Lady Yu, the wife of Xiang Yu, the King of Chu 楚項羽妻 虞氏

Series: Military Tales of the Han and Chu (War stories of China´s So dynasty) (Kan-So gundan - 漢楚軍談)  Date: ca. 1827

We see the historical Lady Yu dressed from head to toe as a Chinese warrior and holding a fearsome double-edged pole arm weapon. She wears layer upon layer of military finery and with one arm holds the bridle of a horse. The coat of the horse has been rendered with starbursts of fur in an unusual way, and the background has also been rendered in a non-ukiyo-e manner. This series might be seen as a challenge by Kunisada to Kuniyoshi, who had almost single-handedly created the new musha-e (warrior) genre. Great attention has been paid to Lady Yu’s costume, which includes complex components that are highly decorated. Her expression is one of determination, and she wears a red undergarment that circles her neck; both the horse and this garment seem to presage her ultimate sacrifice, taking her own life so that her husband can escape the enemies that surround them. Her husband thus escapes on horseback, carrying her head on the pommel of the horse.

Condition: Excellent impression; very good color and condition. Trimming, especially at top and bottom.  Dimensions: ôban 36.3 x 25.3 cm
Publisher: Nishimuraya Yohachi
Signature: ôju Gototei Kunisada ga

References:  See Kunisada’s World, Page 107, National Museum of Asian Art, Anne van Biema Collection, Chazen Museum of Art.

SKU: KUS603