Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1861)

This work depicts one of the most famous Japanese tales, that of Benkei the "warrior monk" (bottom left) fighting the 18 year-old Minamoto Yoshitsune (middle) on the Goji bridge. Benkei wants to take Yoshitsune's sword in order to fulfil the challenge set him by the famous swordsmith Kokaji Munenobu that he must collect 1000 old swords before Munenobu will make Benkei an armour and swords fitting to his position. Yoshitsune however defeats Benkei thanks to the jumping powers he had learnt from the tengu king Sojobo. Benkei famously becomes Yoshitsune's most loyal retainer. See Robert Schaap, Heroes and Ghosts, (Amsterdam, 1998), p. 52.

See lot 21 for another design featuring Benkei.

The presence of gradated black printing to the bridge pillars and mountain tops, along with a diagonal blue stripe in the water indicate that this impression is amongst the earlier printings.

Two later impressions of this design are in the collections of the British Museum, see www.britishmuseum.org museum numbers 2008,3037.20604 and 1907,0531,0.625.1-3.

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