The Fifth Year of the Keicho Era, 1885 - Quiet scene of the wife of wife of Hosokawa Tadaoki preparing to commit seppuku. After her husband went on a campaign with Tokugawa Ieyasu's forces, his rival, Ishida Mitsunari, took over Osaka Castle in the fifth year of the Keicho era (1600). Mitsunari threatened to kidnap Tadaoki's family members living in his Osaka mansion, so Tadaoki's wife committed suicide, along with Tadaoki's retainers, and ordered her servants to set fire to their living quarters. Here, she kneels at a low table as she composes her death poem, a servant bowing to her in the hallway of the ruined mansion as another keeps guard. A short sword wrapped in silk lies on an offering tray on the floor beside her, and her knees are tied together with a white sash to maintain her decorum in death. A green border patterned with gray butterflies and moths frames the design. A handsome depiction of the last moment's of this honorable woman's life.

Artist - Kiyochika (1847 - 1915)

Image Size - 13 3/4" x 18 1/2" + margins as shown

Condition - This print with excellent color and detail as shown. Two separate panels, backed with paper. Slight toning, soiling, and creasing. Please see photos for details. Good overall.