Utagawa Kuniyoshi (歌川国芳) (artist 11/15/1797 – 03/05/1861)
Fujiwara no Masakiyo (藤原正清) from the series Taiheiki eiyuden (Heroes of the Great Peace - 太平記英勇傳)
ca 1847 – 1850
10 in x 14.5 in (Overall dimensions) Japanese woodblock print
Signed: Ichiyūsai Kuniyoshi ga
一勇斎国芳画
Publisher: Yamamotoya Heikichi
(Marks 595 - seal 04-007)
Censor seals: Mera and Murata
Number 22 in a circle - 十十二
Inscription: Ryūkatei Tanekazu
Tokyo Metropolitan Library
British Museum
Museum of Oriental Art, Venice (via Ritsumeikan University)
Victoria and Albert Museum The British Museum curatorial files state: "Fujiwara no Masakiyo (the historical Kato Kiyomasa) seated on a campstool on the shore in Korea, pointing over the sea with his fan to the summit of Mount Fuji; two natives, depicted in western style, before him."
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There is another copy of this print in the Mt. Fuji and Princess Kagiya Museum.
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Illustrated:
1) in Ukiyo-e dai musha-e ten - 浮世絵大武者絵展 - (The Samurai World in Ukiyo-e), edited by Yuriko Iwakiri, Machida City Museum of Graphic Arts, 2003, #73, p. 188.
2) in a full-page color reproduction in Heroes of the grand pacification: Kuniyoshi's Taiheiki eiyū den by Elena Varshavskaya, Hotei Publishing, 2005, p. 103.
Varshavskaya gives the translation of the text as:
[Fujiwara-no Masakiyo] was born in the county of Aichi in Owari province. His father was called Gorōsuke and smith-craft was their family occupation. [Masakiyo] was related to Hisayoshi... on his mother's side. In his childhood Masakiyo was called Toranosuke. At the age of thirteen he arrived at the stronghold of Sunomata in Mino province and entered the service of that general (Toyotomi Hideyoshi). Since his first battle, he often performed military exploits but above all he distinguished himself in the battle of Shizugamine. He contended with Hamaji Shōgen... the unparalleled warrior of the Northern Lands... took hold of him and cut his head off. He fought hand-to-hand with Shōsokabe, killed Kaneko Genpee, the foremost in bravery in Shikoku, and suppressed a revolt in Higo. Once in Kyūshū he battled with Shiyama Danjō, far famed for his strength, and knocked him down with a thrust of his spear and took his head. Countless were his great exploits. The lord... praised him for his meritorious services and granted him a banner with the seven-sign prayer as well as a camp tent-curtain with the words of the Lotus Sutra inscribed on it. [Masakiyo] crossed the sea to the foreign country (Korea). The fame of his bravery and valour reverberated far and wide. He took prisoner two Korean princes, intruded deep into the land of Orangai, and there from the seashore he saw in distant Fujisan, the lotus-like mountain of his home empire. Also his henchmen were yearning for the old dear places of their homeland. The natives called him 'the devil-general' because of the awe inspired by his ferocity and courage. In Higo province he possessed a dominion with revenue of one hundred thousand koku... He died in the castle where he lived. Masakiyo with his valorous spirit is still revered among the great many commanders of our country. Only with Minamoto Tametomo can this general be compared in his immense probity, loyalty and bravery. This is what should be said about him.The author also wrote: "Katō Kiyomasa is portrayed during Hideyoshi's first Korean campaign of 1592. At the early stage of this war the Japanese army was very successful. Particularly fortunate was Katō Kiyomasa who, having reached the northern borders of Korea, crossed them and continued to fight in the Manchurian territory of Orangai. Katō Kiyomasa appears on this print as a warrior at the pinnacle of his glory. The composition is dominated by his giant figure. Kuniyoshi makes his hero recognizable at a glance: Kiyomasa is wearing his famous helmet shaped as an official hat (eboshi). His haori, a sleeveless cloak worn over the armour, is decorated with wide circles known as a snake-eye pattern, ja-no me. Both these objects became established iconographic elements of Katō Kiyomasa's image. At Kiyomasa's feet two Otangai natives clad in rags are shown. They have European-looking faces with large beards. The foreignness of the natives is reinforced by chiaroscuro, a device commonly used by Kuniyoshi when depicting non-Japanese, mostly Chinese personages. Here, however, the appearance f the Orangai fishermen might not be defined by this convention. In a 19th century illustrated ethnographic publication the image of two Coastal Manchus bear a striking resemblance to Kuniyoshi's representation of two aborigines. Anyway, the fishers' countenance is contrasted in every respect to the of Katō Kiyomasa and thus further emphasises the grandeur and pre-eminence of the Japanese."
3) in black and white in 'Pictorial formulae of martial attributes in Kuniyoshi's warrior prints' by Elena Varshavskaya in Andon, September 1998, fig. 26, p. 21. Varshavskaya wrote on pages 20-22: "One of the main figures of the Japanese invasion of Korea, Kato Kiyomasa became famous both for his successful military operations and for his ruthlessness, which granted him the nickname of the 'devil general' . In the beginning of the war in the middle of the 8th month of 1592, soon after the capture of two Korean princes, Kato Kiyomasa crossed the boundaries of the country, thus penetrating further North than any other Japanese general had ever done, and reached the country of Orangai as has already been mentioned above. It is there that the episode illustrated in the print took place. According to Ehon Taikoki, when Kato Kiyomasa found himself on the sea shore, the natives pointed him to a small mountain-shaped silhouette far away amidst the foam of either waves or clouds, referring to it as to the 'Lotus Peak' , said to be the highest mountain in Japan. On hearing this, a hallowed feeling came upon Kato Kiyomasa and his soldiers; they were all moved by the dear sight and took it for a symbol of the divine support of their endeavours. This burst of feelings was considered important enough to become the subject of the portrait of Kiyomasa in the Taiheiki set, where each picture is focused on a feature or episode of crucial significance for the character of the person portrayed."
"Remarkable is the contrast between the sentimental lyricism of the print and the might of Kato's massive figure. He is depicted in the full lustre of his military attire, wearing his well-known cloak with circles and his famous eboshi-shaped helmet. Kato's dominant figure in the print, its colourful splendour and ornamental richness introduce another theme present in some prints of the Taiheiki eiyu den series, viz. the display of the glory of Japanese arms and its superiority, in this case over the wild aborigines who look quite uncivilized. They are clad in rags and have European-looking faces with large beards. The foreign attitude of the natives is reinforced by chiaroscuro, a device commonly used by Kuniyoshi when depicting non-Japanese, mostly Chinese personages."
"This conventional manner of depicting strangers is aimed primarily at emphasizing the distinction between individuals of native and those of foreign origin. Here, however, the peculiar European appearance of the Orangai fishermen might not have been defined by this convention. In the book - Pictorial journey through Asia23 there is a picture representing two Coastal Manchus (fig. 27). Their appearance bears a striking resemblance with the way the aborigines in Kato Kiyomasa's portrait look. So it is possible that the particular ethnic type of the Orangai natives near the figure of Kato Kyomasa was not just a general 'European' disguise of foreigners but the result of Kuniyoshi 's factual accuracy."
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There is another copy of this print in the Museo Nazionale d'Arte Orientale.
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There are 15 prints from this set in the Lyon Collection.
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The text reads:
尾州愛智郡の産 父が名は五郎助加鍛冶を家の業となす 久吉が為には母方の親戚なり 正清幼名虎之助 十三才の時濃州洲の俣の砦に至彼将に仕へ初陣より毎度の戦功 就中賤ヶ峰には北国無双の剛勇浜地将監と組打し彼を攀首となし荘曽壁と摂戦して四国随一の驍勇金固現兵衛を討取肥後国に一揆を退治する日は九州に膂力の聞高き志山弾正と闘戦して此を鎗下ニ突伏るなど高名枚挙がたし 主君忠功を賞し七字題目の旗并に法花書写の陣幕を賜 去ほどに異国に渡海なしては勇威八ヶ道を震動し両王子を生擒遠く兀良哈の地方に攻入彼所の海岸より皇国の芙蓉山を望見ることあり 随従の軍子等頻リに古郷を追慕なしぬとぞ 異邦の軍臣猛勇を恐怖のあまり鬼将軍と称せしとかや 肥州において数十万石を領し居城に終る 本邦将帥許多の中今猶威霊を尊信せらるゝもの源為朝と此将のみ 廉直義勇の莫大なる以此察すべし 一家略伝史 柳下亭種員記
A partially loose translation is:
尾州愛智郡の産 (My father was from Bishū in Aichi District.)
父が名は五郎助加鍛冶を家の業となす (My father's name was Gorosuke and he was a blacksmith.)
warrior prints (musha-e - 武者絵) (genre)
Yamamotoya Heikichi (山本屋平吉) (publisher)
Katō Masakiyo (加藤正清) (role)
Taiheiki (太平記) (genre)
Ryūkatei Tanekazu (柳下亭種員 - 1807-58) (author)