Heroic Stories of the Taiheiki - Few other Japanese woodblock printmakers ever matched Kuniyoshi's detail and artistry in the genre of warrior prints. Published between 1847 - 1850, Kuniyoshi's fantastic series, "Heroic Stories of the Taiheiki (Grand Pacification)," presents fifty full-length portraits of famous warriors involved in the closing period of the civil wars in 16th century Japan, just before unification of the country. These dramatic images show these leaders engaged in battle or posing heroically in all their military glory. Kuniyoshi captures the unique aspects of each warrior, with texts above detailing their heroic careers. To evade the prohibitions enacted in 1804 against depicting historic figures who lived after 1573, each warrior has a pseudonym that would have been easily recognized by the viewers of the time. The actual name of the individual is provided in parentheses. These prints are a great opportunity to collect a part of Japanese history, dynamically documented by the leading master of warrior prints.

Tarnbe Jiju Taira no Harutaka (Kambe Nobutaka) - The third son of Oda Nobunaga, Kambe Nobutaka was in line to succeed his father. When Gifu Castle fell to Toyotomi Hideyoshi during the 1583 Battle of Shizugamine, he committed suicide. This bold depiction shows him sitting proudly in front of his standard, a stern expression on his face. He wears a fantastic battle helmet topped with a three-headed deity, and has a quiver of arrows at his back. Wonderfully detailed, a classic portrait of a noble samurai leader.

Artist - Kuniyoshi (1797 - 1861)

Image Size - 14" x 9 3/4"

Condition - With excellent color and detail as shown. Slight paper remnants on reverse from previous backing. Soiling, slight rubbing near edges, mark across top. Please see photos for details. Good overall.