About This Print
The artist portrays the Sixteen Divine Generals serving Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543–1616) founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan until the Meiji Restoration of 1867. It is interesting to ponder why this subject was depicted in 1874, seven years after the emperor was restored to power. 1873 and the beginning of 1874 were rough times for the new Meiji emperor and government, with open revolts by both the masses (over misinterpreted conscription laws and demands for tax reduction) and disaffected samurai, a handful of whom tried to assassinate the Minister of the Right, Iwakura Tomomi (1825-1883),1 on January 13, 1874. Perhaps this reminder of the loyalty of these generals to the first shogun was to be instructive of loyalty to the young emperor?1 Soon after his appointment as Minister of the Right in 1871, he led the two-year around-the-world journey known as the Iwakura mission, visiting the United States and several countries in Europe with the purpose of renegotiating the unequal treaties and gathering information to help effect the modernization of Japan.
The Sixteen Divine (Heavenly) Generals of the Tokugawa
The Sixteen Heavenly Generals of Tokugawa (徳川十六神将) is a title that was invented during the Edo period. Like the Four Heavenly Kings, this title was made based on the Buddhist Twelve Heavenly Generals.
Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616), the first shogun
Tokugawa Ieyasu sits in the center of the print. Arrayed around him are the sixteen "divine generals" who served him, as listed below.
Right Sheet: From top center moving clockwise:
 |  | Ōkubo Tadayo 大久保忠世 (1532-1594) cartouche reading: 大久保七郎右エ門忠世 [Ōkubo shichirō uemon Tadayo] |
 |  | Takagi Kiyohide 高木清秀 (1525-1610) cartouche reading: 高木生水人道恒順 |
 |  | Ōkubo Tadasuke 大久保忠佐 (1537-1613) cartouche reading: 大久保彦左エ門忠佐 |
 |  | Hattori Masanari 服部正成 (1542-1596) cartouche reading: 服部半蔵正成 [Hattori Hanzō Masanari/Masashige] |
 |  | Naitō Masanari 内藤正成 (1528-1602) cartouche reading: 内藤四郎右エ門正成 [Naitō Shirōuemon Masanari/Masashige] |
Center Sheet: Clockwise from upper right:
 |  | Matsudaira Yasutada 松平康忠 (1545-1618) cartouche reading: 松平甚太郎康忠 [Matsudaira Jintarō Yasutada] |
 |  | Sakakibara Yasumasa 榊原 康政 (1548-1606) cartouche reading: 榊原式部大輔康政 [Sakakibara Shikibu no Taiyu Yasumasa] |
 |  | Honda Tadakatsu 本多平八郎 (1548-1610) cartouche reading: 本多中務少輔忠勝 [Honda Nakatsuka Shōsuke Tadakatsu] |
 |  | Watanabe Moritsuna 渡辺守綱 (1543-1620) cartouche reading:渡邉半藏守綱 [Watanabe Moritsuna] |
 |  | Ii Naomasa 井伊直政 (1561-1602) cartouche reading: 井伊部輔直 [Ji-hiōbu no Shōyū Naomasa] |
 |  | Sakai Tadatsugu 酒井忠次 (1527-1596) cartouche reading: 酒井左エ門尉忠次 [Sakai Sayemonjō Tadatsugu] |
Left Sheet: From top left moving clockwise:
 |  | Torii Mototada 鳥居元忠 (1539-1600) cartouche reading: 鳥居彥エ門尉元忠 [Torii Hikozayemon Mototada] |
 |  | Hachiya Sadatsugu 蜂屋貞次 (1532-1564) cartouche reading: 蜂屋半之丞貞次 [Hachiya Hannojō Sadatsugu] |
 |  | Yonekitsu Tsuneharu 米津常春 (1524-1612) cartouche reading: 米津藤藏人道淨心 |
 |  | Torii Tadahiro 鳥居忠広 (?-1573) cartouche reading: 鳥居四郎左エ門直忠 [Torii Shirō Saemon Naotada] |
 |  | Hiraiwa Chikayoshi 平岩親吉 (1542-1611) cartouche reading 平岩主计頭親吉 [Hiraiwa ? Chikayoshi |
Print Details
| IHL Catalog | #1388 |
| Title | The Complete Sixteen Divine Generals of the Tokugawa (Ieyasu) 徳川英勇揃 十六將之圖 |
| Series | |
| Artist | Unsen (active. c. 1874) |
| Signature | 應需雲僊筆 ōju Unsen hitsu  |
| Seal | ??雲僊 [see image above] |
| Date |  |
| Publisher |  seal reading 林 Hayashi |
| Impression | excellent |
| Colors | excellent |
| Condition | good - three separate untrimmed sheets; minor toning; ragged bottom margin; handling folds |
| Genre | ukiyo-e; |
| Miscellaneous | |
| Format | oban vertical triptych |
| H x W Paper | Right Sheet: 13 3/4 x 9 11/16 in. (34.9 x 24.6 cm) Center Sheet: 13 7/8 x 9 13/16 in. (35.2 x 24.9 cm) Left Sheet: 13 7/8 x 9 5/8 in. (35.2 x 24.4 cm) |
| H X W Image | Right Sheet: 13 11/16 x 9 1/2 in. (34.8 x 24.1 cm) Center Sheet: 13 11/16 x 9 1/4 in. (34.8 x 23.5 cm) Left Sheet: 13 1/2 x 9 7/16 in. (34.3 x 24 cm) |
| Collections This Print | National Diet Library Digital Collections Call Number 234-88 (right two sheets of triptych appearing in bound volume) |
| Reference Literature |
12/28/2020
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