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.

Horimoto Gidayu Takatoshi (Morimoto Gidayu Hidetora) - Handsome depiction of Morimoto Gidayu Hidetora, who fought alongside Kato Kiyomasa in Korea. During a battle he was shot through the arm, so he asked a fellow samurai to pull it out, and he continued fighting despite his wound. Here, he frowns as he looks down at the arrow still protruding from his arm. He wears a billowing cape over his armor, a device worn by important samurai or messengers to make them easily identifiable. His battle helmet is topped with large golden leaves, and he carries a spear. Terrific detail in the armor and weapons.

Artist - Kuniyoshi (1797 - 1861)

Image Size - 14 1/8" x 9 7/8"

Condition - This print with excellent detail as shown. Backed with paper. A few small losses and wormholes, repaired. Slight toning and soiling, slight curling. Please see photos for details. Good overall.