Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, color woodblock print, Japan 1883, Masakado
From Yoshitoshi’s Courageous Warriors: Sagami Jiro Taira Masakado. C 34,5 x 22 cm
Iänmukaista kulumaa. Haalistunut. Ei tutkittu ilman kehyksiä.
Sagami Jiro Taira Masakado (903-940) was a daimyo who rebelled against the Fujiwara shogunate to found his own court at Sashima in 930. This rebellion was short-lived, as the Fujiwara court sent the famed archer Fujiwara Hidesato to end the uprising and kill Masakado. Legend has it that Masakado had many of his men dress like him, to disguise himself from Hidesato. After three retainers were killed, the true Masakado was revealed and struck by one of Hidesato's arrows. In this dynamic portrayal full of movement, the defiant Masakado is mounted on a beautiful white horse as he tramples a warrior who lies mangled on the ground, his broken blade flying uselessly away. Tragically, a single arrow strikes across the cartouche, which will deal a fatal blow to the occupied daimyo