About This Print
Source: Chikanobu: Modernity and Nostalgia in Japanese Prints, Bruce A. Coats, Hotei Publishing, 2006, p. 126.The famous warrior Minamoto no Yorimitsu (948-1021), also known as Raikō, was devoted to the goddess Benzaiten, who appeared to him in a dream and gave him a special bow and arrow to help him in the way of the martial arts. The inset above the main panel depicts Kidōmaru in the snow wearing the skin of a bull waiting to ambush Yorimitsu. Kidōmaru will meet his fate on the receiving end of an arrow shot from the special bow.
The Series Eastern Brocades, Day and Night Compared
Source: Chikanobu: Modernity and Nostalgia in Japanese Prints, Bruce A. Coats, Hotei Publishing, 200ki6, p. 37.As in the series, Snow, Moon, Flowers, also published by Kobayashi Tetsujirō, this series, consisting of 50 prints, drew its subject matter from 12th through 16th century historical epics and war chronicles. It also uses "a three part format of a large primary scene topped by a title cartouche at right and a secondary panel set into the upper left corner. This compositional arrangement encouraged a visual and intellectual conversation among the three segments, allowing subtle commentaries and inflections to be created and/or narratives to be explored."
Print Details
| IHL Catalog | #480 |
| Title or Description | Minamoto no Yorimitsu, No. 27 源頼光 |
| Series | Eastern Brocades, Day and Night Compared 東錦昼夜競 Azuma nishiki chūya kurabe |
| Artist | Yōshū Chikanobu (1838-1912) |
| Signature |  |
| Seal | red toshidama seal |
| Publication Date | October 20, 1886 御届 明治十九年十月二十日 (as shown below) |
| Publisher |  (firm name Maruya Tesujirō 丸屋銕次郎) [Marks: pub. ref. 300; seal not shown] |
| Carver | 宗岡刀 Muneoka tou (Muneoka Shinkichi) (as shown above at bottom of publisher's cartouche) |
| Impression | excellent |
| Colors | excellent |
| Condition | good – red ink offsetting, original album backing, left margin irregularly trimmed where print was removed from album |
| Genre | ukiyo-e; monogatari-e |
| Miscellaneous | |
| Format | oban |
| H x W Paper | 14 x 9 1/2 in. (35.6 x 24.1 cm) |
| H x W Image | 13 1/8 x 8 7/8 in. (33.3 x 22.5 cm) |
| Literature | Chikanobu: Modernity and Nostalgia in Japanese Prints, Bruce A. Coats, Hotei Publishing, 2006, p. 126, pl. 129. |
| Collections This Print | Scripps College Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery 93.6.116 |
4/20/2020
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