The Beginning: Tokiwa Gozen Fleeing with Her Three Children (Hattan, sanshi o tomonatte Tokiwa Gozen hyorosu), from the series "The Life of Yoshitsune (Yoshitsune ichidai zue)"
c. 1832/34
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban
Dimensions
24 × 35.9 cm (9 7/16 × 14 1/8 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
26694
Art Historical Context
In this vibrant color woodblock print from Utagawa Hiroshige series *The Life of YoshitsuneYoshitsune ichidai zue)*, created around 1832–34, we witness a pivotal moment: *The Beginning: Tokiwa Gozen Fleeing with Her Three*. Hiroshige, a master of the uyo-e tradition famed for his evocative landscapes, here turns his eye to historical drama. The oban-sized print (24 × 35.9 cm) captures the legendary beauty Tokiwa Gozen—mother of the heroic samurai Minamoto no Yoshitsune—hurrying through a snowy night with her young sons, evading pursuers after the fall of their clan in 12th-century Japan. This...
About the Artist
Utagawa Hiroshige · 1826–1869
Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858), born Andō Tokutarō, was the last great master of Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock printmaking and one of the most influential landscape artists in history. Born in Edo (modern Tokyo) into a low-ranking samurai family serving as fire wardens, Hiroshige transformed landscape printmaking into a poetic meditation on nature, weather, and everyday life. His revolutionary approac...