Yoshitoshi: Bloodied Warrior Onikojima Yataro with Severed Heads (Sold)

Artist: Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839-1892)
Title: Bloodied Warrior Onikojima Yataro with Severed Heads
Series: Yoshitoshi’s Selection of One Hundred Warriors (Kaidai hyaku sensô)
Date: 1868

Onikojima Yataro with two severed heads, brandishing a bloody sword. The practice of collecting the heads of the enemy was historically a way for Japanese soldiers to gain credit for their battlefield claims. The soldiers depicted in this series are given identities from pre-Edo period Japan to circumvent the ban on modern history. The men portrayed are actually from the civil war that Yoshitoshi witnessed firsthand in 1868. This is considered one of Yoshitoshi’s most graphically brutal series, and was completed soon after the Meiji Restoration. This example is beautifully printed, with blindprinting on the white garment and mica at top. The “blood” colorant on the severed head has also been specially applied to give it a realistic feeling.

Condition: Excellent impression and color. Very good condition. Unbacked and untrimmed, but with minor wormage and areas of thinning.
Dimensions: ôban (36 x 25 cm)
Publisher: Ôhashi
Literature: Beaty & Violence, series #22.13. Keyes series 223.
Signature: Ikkaisai Yoshitoshi hitsu

SKU: YOT820