“Awazu kassen” 粟津合戦 (The Battle of Awazu)

Description

Original woodblock print, Triptych – Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1861) – “Awazu kassen” 粟津合戦 (The Battle of Awazu) – Japan – 1855, 12th month (Ansei 1)

Utagawa Kuniyoshi was one of the last great masters of the Japanese ukiyo-e style of woodblock prints and painting. He was a member of the Utagawa school.

The range of Kuniyoshi’s subjects included many genres: landscapes, beautiful women, Kabuki actors, cats, and mythical animals. He is known for depictions of the battles of legendary samurai heroes. His artwork incorporated aspects of Western representation in landscape painting and caricature.

As it is an old ukiyo-e, it has holes.

See British Museum: https://research.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=3278386&partId=1