About This Print
Four small prints depicting four heroic and fierce figures from Japanese history printed on a single ōban-size sheet, intended to be cut apart. Toshikata's four small prints model his teacher's, Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839-1892), earlier full ōban-size designs published as part of a 50 print series bearing the same title Azuma nishiki ukiyo kōdan ("Rough Tales of the Floating World told on Eastern Brocades") as these four small prints. A visual comparison between Toshikata's renderings of the four figures and Yoshitoshi's original prints is provided below.
The four figures pictured are, as follows:
top left: Sekiguchi Yatarō 関口弥太郎 (1640-1729) staring down a pack of wolves in the Hakone Mountains.
top right: Mataemon Araki Yoshimura 荒木又右エ門吉村 (1599-1638), a master of the art of the sword, with the head Kawai Matagorō at his feet.
bottom right: Kimura Matazō 木村又藏 (lived c. 1600) holding a yari (straight-headed spear), looking at distant fighting.
bottom left: Musashibō Benkei 武蔵坊辨慶 (1155-1189) pretending to read the contents of an empty scroll to be allowed safe passage through the Ataka barrier.
Print Details
IHL Catalog
#1981 Title or Description Rough Tales of the Floating World told on Eastern Brocades: Sekiguchi Yatarō, Araki Mataemon Yoshimura, Kimura Matazō, Musashibō Benkei
東錦浮世稿談 関口弥太郎 荒木又右エ門吉村 木村又藏 武蔵坊辨慶
Note: I have used Robert Schaap's English translation of 東錦浮世稿談 (Azuma nishiki ukiyo kōdan).
Other English translations seen are:
Story of Brocades of the East in the Floating World
Tales of the Floating World in Eastern Brocade
Tales of the FloatingWorld on Eastern Brocade
Series
Artist Mizuno Toshikata (1866-1908)
Signature 
年方 画 Toshikata ga (3 of the 4 signatures)
年方 Toshikata (1 of the 4 signatures) Seal of the artist no seal Publication Date not dated; likely c. 1883/1890 Publisher unknown Impression excellent
Colors excellent Condition good - full size; not backed; diagonal folds bottom corners
Genre ukiyo-e; musasha-e
Miscellaneous
Format vertical oban
H x W Paper
14 1/2 x 9 5/8 in. (36.8 x 24.4 cm)
H x W Image
13 13/16 x 9 1/4 in. (35.1 x 23.5 cm) dimensions of outside of gray border
6 1/4 x 4 1/8 in. (15.9 x 10.5 cm) dimensions of each of the four images within the gray border
Literature Collections This Print
| IHL Catalog | #1981 |
| Title or Description | Rough Tales of the Floating World told on Eastern Brocades: Sekiguchi Yatarō, Araki Mataemon Yoshimura, Kimura Matazō, Musashibō Benkei 東錦浮世稿談 関口弥太郎 荒木又右エ門吉村 木村又藏 武蔵坊辨慶 Note: I have used Robert Schaap's English translation of 東錦浮世稿談 (Azuma nishiki ukiyo kōdan). Other English translations seen are: Story of Brocades of the East in the Floating World Tales of the Floating World in Eastern Brocade Tales of the FloatingWorld on Eastern Brocade |
| Series | |
| Artist | Mizuno Toshikata (1866-1908) |
| Signature | 年方 Toshikata (1 of the 4 signatures) |
| Seal of the artist | no seal |
| Publication Date | not dated; likely c. 1883/1890 |
| Publisher | unknown |
| Impression | excellent |
| Colors | excellent |
| Condition | good - full size; not backed; diagonal folds bottom corners |
| Genre | ukiyo-e; musasha-e |
| Miscellaneous | |
| Format | vertical oban |
| H x W Paper | 14 1/2 x 9 5/8 in. (36.8 x 24.4 cm) |
| H x W Image | 13 13/16 x 9 1/4 in. (35.1 x 23.5 cm) dimensions of outside of gray border 6 1/4 x 4 1/8 in. (15.9 x 10.5 cm) dimensions of each of the four images within the gray border |
| Literature | |
| Collections This Print |
 |  |  |  |  |