Sixteen Stories of Musashi-bô Benkei

(Jûroku Musashi-bô Benkei, 十六武蔵坊)

c. 1848-1850

Musashi-bô Benkei was a warrior-monk who served Yoshitsune. The former was known as Oniwaka Maru in childhood. In spite of the title of this series, Robinson only described six designs, and it is unlikely that any more exist. The prints are each about 14 by 10 inches (36 by 25 centimeters), a size known as ôban.

	Scene: Oniwaka beating two young monastery acolytes, with an unwound scroll of text draped over him Publisher: Jôshû-ya Kinzô Robinson: S68.1
	I am grateful to Andrea Casati for this alternate state of the above design with a blue title cartouche and no publisher’s seal
No image available	Scene: Oniwaka shaving his head Publisher: Robinson: S68.2
	Scene: Oniwaka and the monster carp Publisher: Jôshû-ya Kinzô Robinson: S68.3
	Scene: Oniwaka holding a straight razor and looking down a well Publisher: Daikoku-ya Heikichi Robinson: S68.4
	Scene: Benkei and a leaping magic fox in the snow Publisher: Daikoku-ya Heikichi Robinson: S68.5
	Scene: Benkei in formal robes seizing Tosa-bô Shôshun by the back of his neck Publisher: Jôshû-ya Kinzô Robinson: S68.6

“Robinson” refers to listing in Kuniyoshi: The Warrior-Prints by Basil William Robinson (Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, 1982) and its privately published supplement.

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