Battle of Shijo Nawate
Woodblock Print
1851-1852 (made)
1851-1852 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This print, entitled Kyoto Shijo Nawate Gassen (‘The battle of Shijo Nawate at Kyoto’), is the type of popular print that stimulated national pride in the legacy of the samurai during the 19th century. The gory battle scene depicts one of the ferocious battles of the wars of the Nambokucho period. The hero Kusunoki Masatsura is seen fighting against the army of Ashikaga Takauji in 1348. Before the battle Masatsura famously wrote a poem using an arrowhead, on the doors of the Nyorin-ji temple in Kyoto; the poem can still be seen today.
The battle of Shijo Nawate took place during the period when Japan had two claimants to the imperial throne and the country was plunged into civil war. Kusonoki Matsatsura was the son of Kusonoki Masashige. For his support for the southern imperial court and bravery in battle and the manner of his death (ritual suicide) Masashige was depicted in popular mythology and featured in school textbooks before World War II as the supreme paragon of imperial loyalty.
The battle of Shijo Nawate took place during the period when Japan had two claimants to the imperial throne and the country was plunged into civil war. Kusonoki Matsatsura was the son of Kusonoki Masashige. For his support for the southern imperial court and bravery in battle and the manner of his death (ritual suicide) Masashige was depicted in popular mythology and featured in school textbooks before World War II as the supreme paragon of imperial loyalty.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Battle of Shijo Nawate (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Woodblock print with colours |
| Physical description | Woodblock print by Yoshikaza of Kusunoki Masatsura at the battle of Shijo Nawate |
| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions | Kyoto Shijo Nawate Gassen (Japanese)
|
| Object history | Purchased from S. M. Franck & Co., accessioned in 1886. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project. |
| Summary | This print, entitled Kyoto Shijo Nawate Gassen (‘The battle of Shijo Nawate at Kyoto’), is the type of popular print that stimulated national pride in the legacy of the samurai during the 19th century. The gory battle scene depicts one of the ferocious battles of the wars of the Nambokucho period. The hero Kusunoki Masatsura is seen fighting against the army of Ashikaga Takauji in 1348. Before the battle Masatsura famously wrote a poem using an arrowhead, on the doors of the Nyorin-ji temple in Kyoto; the poem can still be seen today. The battle of Shijo Nawate took place during the period when Japan had two claimants to the imperial throne and the country was plunged into civil war. Kusonoki Matsatsura was the son of Kusonoki Masashige. For his support for the southern imperial court and bravery in battle and the manner of his death (ritual suicide) Masashige was depicted in popular mythology and featured in school textbooks before World War II as the supreme paragon of imperial loyalty. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.13696-1886 |
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| Record created | February 13, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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