Description
Beautiful polychrome woodblock print by the artist Toyohara Kunichika (豊原国周) entitled “The midaidokoro of Ieyasu” (家康公御台所) and depicting Lady Tsukiyama (築山殿), the official wife of Tokugawa Ieyasu (徳川家康), the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate (徳川幕府). Lady Tsukiyama was an important figure at the beginning of Ieyasu’s career and is best known for possibly initiating a conspiracy against Oda Nobunaga (織田信長), an incident following which Ieyasu ordered her executed.
The work, made in 1879 by the publisher Takegawa Seikichi (武川清吉), is taken from the series “The Backyard of Pines and Malvaceae” (葵艸松の裏苑). Remarkable, in the upper right corner, the decoration of the title depicting the triple hollyhock (三葉葵), that is the emblem of the Tokugawa clan (徳川氏).
The print on Japanese washi paper (和紙), despite the evident patina of time and a partial trimming of the margins, as well as the presence of a slight fold sign in the lower right corner, is in fair condition.
