Minamoto no Yoshiie on horseback and a bird on a branch, from an untitled hexaptych depicting a pair of folding screens

Art Historical Context

This elegant color woodblock print by Ryūryūkyo Shinsai, created around 1825, captures a moment from Japanese history and legend. It depicts the celebrated samurai Minamoto no Yoshiie—known as Hachimantarō—seated proudly on horseback, paired with the delicate image of a bird perched on a branch. The sheet forms part of an untitled hexaptych designed to evoke a pair of folding screens, a format that invites viewers to imagine the composition unfolding across multiple panels in a refined interior setting. Shinsai, a pupil of the great Katsushika Hokusai, specialized in surimono—privately commis...