The Satsuma Rebellion - Known in Japanese as the Seinan Senso or Southwestern War, the Satsuma Rebellion took place in 1877 between disaffected former samurai and Meiji Imperial forces. With the fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate and the Meiji restoration of the Emperor in 1867, the samurai class was abolished, leaving this once ruling class unemployed and impoverished. Led by former Imperial Army General Saigo Takamori, samurai from the Satsuma domain in Kagoshima rebelled against the government, leading to a series of battles that ultimately ended in the defeat of the rebels at the Battle of Shiroyama, with Saigo committing seppuku or ritual suicide. Woodblock prints of the conflict were popular, providing accounts of the latest battles to a public eager for news.

The Competition to be the First at Uji River, 1884 - Fantastic image of the famous race across the water at the Second Battle of Uji River, when three of Minamoto no Yoshitsune's generals fought to see who could reach the opposite shore and engage the enemy first. At left, Sasaki Shiro Takatsuna's leads the way as arrows streak past. In the center, Hatakeyama Shigetada follows along on his brown horse, a samurai wading through the chest-deep water beside him, while Kajiwara Genda Kagesue brings up the rear on a black horse, wearing a helmet topped with deer antlers. Yoshitsune's troops watch from the shore at right, while Yoshinaka's archers fire from the opposite bank. A lively scene with wonderful detail.

Artist - Toyonobu (1859 - 1886)

Image Size - 14" x 28 1/4" + margins as shown

Condition - This print with good detail as shown. Three separate panels. Vertical folds. Small losses and thinning at edges, wormholes, repaired. A few creases and marks. Please see photos for details.