Minamoto no yoshitsune taira no tomomori no rei ni au zu (Meeting of Minamoto no Yoshitsune and the ghost of Taira no Tomomori), Utagawa Yoshikazu

Archive Label 2003 (version 1):
Ichiyusai Yoshikazu was a pupil of Utagawa Kuniyoshi. He was one of the major early printmakers of the Yokohama school, a group of artists known for their depictions of foreigners in the port city of Yokohama. Yoshikazu’s subject matter was diverse, including traditional themes of warriors, landscapes, and historical (or semi-historical) tales such as this one, as well as contemporary images of foreigners and foreign customs.

This dramatic image illustrates a legendary episode from the historical conflict between the Heike (or Taira) and the Genji (or Minamoto) clans in the 12th century. The civil war was described in oral and written narratives beginning in the 13th century. Known collectively as the Tale of Heike, these stories were subsequently embellished in legend and in the Kabuki, Noh and Bunraku theaters. Recently they have also been reworked into movies and television dramas.

Overwhelmed by Minamoto no Yoshitsune’s superior military skill at the decisive battle of Dan no ura in 1185, Tomomori and his Taira followers had thrown themselves to their death in the sea rather than be captured by the Minamoto. In this legendary scene of revenge, Tomomori and his troops rise from their watery grave to threaten Yoshitsune’s ship.

Archive Label 2003 (version 2):
This dramatic image illustrates a legendary episode from the historic conflict between the Heike (or Taira) and the Genji (or Minamoto) clans in the 12th century, a civil war described in narratives beginning in the 13th century. Known collectively as The Tale of Heike, these stories were subsequently embellished in legend and in the Kabuki, Noh and Bunraku theaters. More recently they have also been reworked into movies and television dramas.

Overwhelmed by Minamoto no Yoshitsune’s superior military skill at the decisive battle of Dan no Ura in 1185, Tomomori and his Taira followers had thrown themselves to their death in the sea rather than be captured by the Minamoto. In this apocryphal scene of revenge, Tomomori and his troops rise from their watery grave to threaten Yoshitsune’s ship.

We found this triptych last November at Israel Goldman’s booth at the annual Print Fair in New York City’s Park Avenue Armory. Roger Keyes, Japanese print expert and long-time friend of the Spencer Museum of Art, was at the booth at the same time and enthusiastically endorsed its purchase. Executed in the Utagawa School signature style, Yoshikazu’s triptych combines drama with a first-quality impression and costly special effects. Note the clarity of the woodgrain in the background (indicating that the print was made while the blocks were still fresh) the sophisticated coloration, and the sprinkled and spattered mica and gofun (ground shell flakes).
Mary Dusenbury, Cori Sherman

Archive Label date unknown:
The conflict of the Heike (or Taira) and the Genji (or Minamoto) clans in the twelfth centur ywas immoralized in legend. Historical events and incndents were embellished and adapted to the kabuki, nō and bunraku puppet theaters, as well as modern-day film and television dramas. The decisive battle occurred in 1185, when Minamoto no Yoshitsune's forces overwhelmed Taira no Tomomori and his followers. Tomomori and his warriors, admitting defeat, threw themselves into the sea to drown rather than submit to capture. In this fantastic scene, a supernatural revenge is suggested as the ghosts of Tomomori and his retainers rise from a watery grave to threaten Yoshitsune's ship.