Tomoe Gozen and Xiang Yu

Katsushika Hokusai, artist

1760–1849

Tomoe Gozen and Xiang Yu, 1820, Edo period (1600–1868)

Portfolio/Series title: Soramitsuya-ren wakan buyū awase: Sanban no uchi (Japan and China in Contests of Bravery, for the Soramitsuya Circle: A Series of Three) (Japanese and Chinese Heroes for the Soramitsuya Circle)

Where object was made: Japan

Material/technique: color woodcut

Dimensions:
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 220 x 190 mm
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 86 5/8 x 74 13/16 in
Mat Dimensions (Height x Width): 19 x 14 in

Credit line: William Bridges Thayer Memorial

Accession number: 0000.1395

Not on display

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Label texts

Archive Label 2003:
In this fanciful print, the third-century BCE Chinese general Xiang Yu is paired with the twelfth-century Japanese woman warrior Tomoe Gozen. The two legendary heroes compete not physically, but in a calligraphy contest. Xiang Yu boldly writes the characters for Japan while holding a heavy bronze cauldron over his head. Outdoing the ferocious general not in physical feats but in poetic spirit, Lady Tomoe displays her calligraphy in a graceful, flowing script. It reads “The strength of the breeze of Tomoe’s fan blows the fragrance of the plum blossom higher than the cauldron.” The Edo period (1600-1868) was a long period of peace in Japan. During this peaceful era, the government propagated the ideal of cultivating the literary as well as the martial arts among members of the warrior class, or samurai. As demonstrated in the examples shown here, which are popular prints made for the general public, such ideals made their way into the broader Edo culture as well.