Biography of Yoshitsune
(Hodo Yoshitsune
koi no Minamoto ichidai kagami,
程義経戀源 一代鏡)
1848-1853
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Minamoto
Yoshitsune (1159-1189) was a warrior whose tragic
life has been fictionalized in many plays and novels. He was placed in a monastery after his
father’s death in an unsuccessful revolt against the dictatorship of Taira Kiyomori, but Yoshitsune
escaped and in 1180 joined a rebellion against the Taira Clan launched by his
brother Minamoto Yoritomo. Yoshitsune’s first spectacularly successful campaign was
against his cousin Yoshinaka in 1184.
That same year he led an assault on the Taira forces camped at Ichinotani, demoralizing and dispersing them. In 1185, he finally annihilated the Taira
in the naval battle of Dannoura. Yoshitsune was
forced into an unsuccessful rebellion against his brother Yoritomo in
1185. He eventually committed suicide
in 1189 after killing his wife and daughter.
In childhood, Yoshitsune was known as either
Ushiwara (牛若) or Ushiwakamaru (牛若丸). The prints in this series
are each about 14 by 10 inches (36 by 25 centimeters), a size known as ôban. |
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Scene: The flight of
Tokiwa-gozen (常盤の前) through the
snow with her three children, Imawaka (今若), Otowaka (乙若) and Ushiwaka
(牛若) Publisher: Iba-ya Kyûbei Robinson: S65.1 Date: 1847-1850
(censors Mera and Murata) |
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I am grateful to Robert Pryor for this keyblock print of the
above image. |
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Scene: The tengu king
(here called Kibune no keshin
(貴舩の化身) meaning
incarnation of Kibune) giving Ushiwakamaru
(牛若丸) a fencing
lesson Title: The Secrets
of Strategy: Chapter Two (San ryaku den dai ni, 三略傳 第二) Publisher: Iba-ya Kyûbei Robinson: S65.2 Date: 1847-1850
(censors Mera and Murata) NOTE: Tengu are forest-dwelling
creatures that are either human-like with wings and long noses or
bird-like. Kibune
is a mountain just north of Kyoto having an ancient shrine near its summit. |
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Scene: Ushiwakamaru (牛若丸) clinging to
the branch of a tree kicks over Mitsuma no Daita who later became his retainer Kisanda
(満間の大太 後ニ喜三太) Title: The Secrets
of Strategy: Chapter Three (San ryaku den dai san, 三略傳 第三) Publisher: Iba-ya Kyûbei Robinson: S65.3 Date: 1847-1850
(censors Mera and Murata) |
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Scene: Kawachi Kakutei (河内覚定) on the
lookout in a pine tree with Kumasaka Chôhan (熊坂入道長範) and his gang
below Title: The Secrets
of Strategy: Chapter Four (San ryaku den dai yon, 三略傳 第四) Publisher: Iba-ya Kyûbei Robinson: S65.4 Date: 1847-1850
(censors Mera and Murata) |
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Another state of the above print published by Jôshû-ya
Jûzô (重上州屋 seal bottom
center) |
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Scene: Ushiwakamaru (牛若丸) with drawn
sword in his room at an inn with Kumasaka Chôhan (熊坂長範) outside Title: The Secrets
of Strategy (San ryaku
den, 三略伝) Publisher: Iba-ya Kyûbei Robinson: S65.5 Date: 1847-1848
(censors |
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Scene: The beautiful
15-year-old Jôruri-hime (浄瑠璃姫) helping Ushiwakamaru (牛若丸) wash his
hands Title: The Secrets
of Strategy: Chapter Six (San ryaku den dai roku, 三略傳 第六) Publisher: Jôshû-ya Jûzô Robinson: S65.6 Date: 1847-1850
(censors Mera and Murata) |
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This is another version of the above print, also published by Jôshû-ya Jûzô. The background is much darker with the
landscape in the background being shadowy rather than misty. The harsh synthetic inks indicate that this
is a later printing. |
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Yet another state published by Iba-ya Kyûbei |
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Scene: Yokogawa no Kankai (横川の地海) attacking Ushiwakamaru (牛若丸) from behind Title: The Secrets
of Strategy (San ryaku
den, 三略伝) Publisher: Jôshû-ya Jûzô Robinson: S65.7 Date: 1847-1848
(censors |
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Scene: Yoshitsune (牛若御曹司) displaying
his horsemanship before Fujiwara no Hidehira (陸奥守秀衡) at the
latter’s castle in Mutsu Title: The Secrets of
Strategy (San ryaku
den, 三略伝) Publisher: Jôshû-ya Jûzô Robinson: S65.8 Date: 1847-1848
(censors |
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Scene: Ushiwakamaru (牛若丸) with an open
fan and Benkei (弁慶) with a naginata fighting on Gojô Bridge Title: The Secrets
of Strategy: Chapter Thirteen (San ryaku den jyu san, 三略傳 十三) Publisher: Jôshû-ya Jûzô Robinson: S65.9 Date: 1847-1850
(censors Mera and Murata) |
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Another state of the above print. |
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Yet another state published by Iba-ya Kyûbei |
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Scene: Ushiwakamaru (牛若丸) and Musashibô Benkei (武蔵坊弁慶) fighting with
swords Title: The Secrets
of Strategy (San ryaku
den, 三略伝) Publisher: Iba-ya Kyûbei Robinson: S65.10 Date: 1847-1848
(censors |
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Scene: Yoshitsune (源義経) discovers Washio Saburô (鷲尾三郎) at Hiyodori-goye trussing up a wild boar before the Battle
of Ichi-no-tani Title: The Secrets
of Strategy (San ryaku
den, 三略伝) Publisher: Jôshû-ya Jûzô Robinson: S65.11 Date: 1st
month of 1853 |
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Scene: Yoshitsune (源義経) with Musashibô Benkei (武蔵坊弁慶) and other
followers under the cherry-blossoms at Suma after the Battle of Ichi-no-tani Title: The Secrets
of Strategy (San ryaku
den, 三略伝) Publisher: Jôshû-ya Jûzô Robinson: S65.12 Date: 1st
month of 1853 |
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Scene: Minamoto no Yoshitsune’s (九郎判官源義経) eight boat
leap to escape from Notonokami Noritsune
(能登守教経) at the Battle
of Dan-no-ura Title: The Secrets
of Strategy (San ryaku
den, 三略伝) Publisher: Jôshû-ya Jûzô Robinson: S65.13 Date: 1st
month of 1853 |
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Scene: Minamoto no Yoshitsune (源義経) and Shidzuka-gozen (静御前) defending
themselves against the night attack at Horikawa by Tosa-bô
Shôshun (土佐坊昌俊) Title: The Secrets
of Strategy (San ryaku
den, 三略伝) Publisher: Jôshû-ya Jûzô Robinson: S65.14 Date: 2nd
month of 1853 |
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Scene: The ghosts of
Taira warriors–some in the form of crabs–attacking Yoshitsune
(源 義経) and Musashibô Benkei (武蔵坊弁慶) at Daimotsu Bay Title: The Secrets
of Strategy (San ryaku
den, 三略伝) Publisher: Jôshû-ya Jûzô Robinson: S65.15 Date: 1st
month of 1853 |
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Scene: Yoshitsune (源義経) leaps down
upon the warrior-monk Yokogawa Kakuhan (覺範) at Yoshino Title: The Secrets
of Strategy (San ryaku
den, 三略伝) Publisher: Jôshû-ya Jûzô Robinson: S65.16 Date: 1st
month of 1853 NOTE: Robinson describes this print as “Satô Tadanobu, wearing Yoshitsune’s
armour, leaps down upon the warrior-monk Yokogawa Kakuhan at Yoshino”.
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“Robinson” refers to listing in Kuniyoshi: The Warrior-Prints by Basil William Robinson (Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, 1982) and its privately published supplement. CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO MAIN PAGE
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