月岡芳年画 「清盛入道布引滝遊覧 悪源太義平霊討難波次郎」|The Spirit of Akugenta Yoshihira Strikes Nanba Jirō during Kiyomori’s Visit to Nunobiki Waterfall
Medium
Triptych of woodblock-printed books (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper
Dimensions
Image (a): 9 1/2 x 14 in. (24.1 x 35.6 cm) Image (b): 9 1/2 x 14 3/4 in. (24.1 x 37.5 cm) Image (c): 9 1/2 x 14 in. (24.1 x 35.6 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Meiji period (1868–1912)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of William S. Lieberman, 2005
Accession Number
2007.49.307a–c
Tags
Art Historical Context
This striking triptych by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi captures a dramatic moment from Japanese legend set at Nunobiki Waterfall. The central scene shows the vengeful spirit of Akugenta Yoshihira (also known as Minamoto no Yoshihira) striking down his enemy Nanba Jirō, while the powerful warlord Taira no Kiyomori visits the famous site. Yoshitoshi, working at the dawn of the Meiji period in 1868, specialized in intense, theatrical compositions that blend history, folklore, and the supernatural. As a nishiki-e woodblock print, the work showcases the vibrant colors and intricate details made possible by...
About the Artist
Tsukioka Yoshitoshi · 1839–1892
Tsukioka Yoshitoshi was born on April 30, 1839, in the Shimbashi district of Edo, the city that would become Tokyo. At the age of eleven he was apprenticed to Utagawa Kuniyoshi, one of the great masters of the Japanese woodblock print, who gave the boy the artist name 'Yoshitoshi' as a mark of lineage within the Utagawa School. From Kuniyoshi, Yoshitoshi absorbed the full tradition of ukiyo-e — th...