Kuniyoshi: Rain of Arrows (Sold)

Artist: Utagawa Kuniyoshi
Title: Rain of Arrows
Series:
Date: 1851-52

The last stand of the Kusunoki Clan at Shijo-nawate in 1348. Nanke yushi Shijo-nawate nite uchijini. Wada Shinboshi (Genshu) leads the counterattack, holding two severed heads to shield his own head against the incoming rain of arrows. In the middle sheet is Masatomo, who holds a lowered standard as halfhearted camouflage.To the left is Kusunoki Matsutsura, who crouches bentween a fallen horse and some planks of wood, holding the body of an expired samurai as a shield. There are two triptychs of this name with similar compositions that were published in 1857.

Condition: Very good impression, color and condition. Some narrow black pigment added along left margin of two sheets.
Dimensions: ôban triptych each sheet approx 37.3 x 25.5 cm
Publisher: Fujioka-ya Keijiro
Literature: See Timothy Clark’s “Kuniyoshi from the Arthur R. Miller Collection”, no. 32, page 93. Robinson T271. Riccar 1978, no. 106; Springfield 1980, no. 179; V&A 1991, no. 92.
Signature: Ichiyûsai Kuniyoshi ga

SKU: KUY491