KAJIWARA GENTA KAGESUE (Kikukawa Eizan)

N.1 ukiyo-e woodblock print
Period: 1807-09
Condition: good
Size: 21,5 x 31 cm

SOLD

Description

Important original woodblock print made, in a period between 1807 and 1809, by the famous artist Kikukawa Eizan (菊川英山) and depicting Kajiwara Genta Kagesue (梶原源太景季), a samurai in the service to the Minamoto clan (源氏) during the Genpei War (源平合戦), of Japan’s late Heian period (平安時代).

The brave warrior is depicted wielding his katana (刀). Behind him we can see plum blossoms and, in fact, it is said that, on the occasion of the great battle that took place in the Ikuta forest (生田の森), he broke off a spray of plum blossom from the tree and carried it in his quiver as his emblem.

The rare print, produced by the publisher Sanoya Kihei (佐野屋喜兵衛), owner of Kikakudo (喜鶴堂), despite the proper and evident signs of aging, is in overall good condition, thanks also to a relining carried out on the back with another sheet of Japanese washi paper (和紙).