Yoshitoshi: Fiery Battle at Kagoshima (Sold)

Artist: Tsukioka Yoshitoshi
Title: Fiery Battle at Kagoshima
Date: 1877

Sasshû Kagoshima Sei-tôki no uchi (A Chronicle of the Subjugation of Kagoshima in Satsuma Province). An enormous sky filled with grey smoke and hotly burning fires dominate this scene of the rebel stand at Kagoshima. To the right we see a soldier on horseback, directing troops with a flag. He stands next to a cannon that seems to have just been fired. The hand-to hand fighting below is a chaotic jumble, probably reflecting the feeling of an actual battle. Colorants have been hand-applied in the fires to mimic ash falling, and there is some mica in the darkness of the smoke. It is well documented that Yoshitoshi’s sympathies were with the rebel samurai and their doomed struggle with imperial forces. No other examples of this design were found online. Keyes number 349$ or 355 (same title).

Condition: Excellent impression impression, color and condition. Untrimmed and unbacked. Some smudges to hand-applied “ash”, done at time of printing. Deluxe mica added at bottom. Small hole in leg of horse.
Dimensions: ôban triptych (approx 37 x 76 cm)
Signature: ------ Yoshitoshi

SKU: YOT754