Prince Oto no miya Morinaga, No. 50 - Dramatic scene of the samurai Ashikaga Tadayoshi trying to execute his prisoner, Prince Oto no miya Morinaga, the son of exiled Emperor Go Daigo. Ashikaga Takauji wanted to become shogun himself, so he arrested Morinaga and charged his brother Tadayoshi with guarding him. When Hojo troops rebelled against the Ashikaga, Tadayoshi decided to kill Morinaga rather than risk his going free. Here the prince's wife tries to intervene as Tadayoshi surprises the prince at his writing table, sending him falling backwards as he attacks, his sword held overhead. The inset above shows the prince's bloody head paraded about on the end of a sword. The composition effectively conveys the chaos of the situation, with letters flying and the wife's robes tangled up under her husband. Nicely detailed with embossing on the white kimono and burnishing on the black lacquer table.

Artist - Chikanobu (1838 - 1912)

Image Size - 13" x 9" + margins as shown

Condition - This print with nice color and detail as shown. Some prints have a few small spots or ripples. Please see photos for details.