£70 - £80
Toyonobu Utagawa, Japanese Instrument, Hideyoshi, Warrior Print, Meiji PeriodHideyoshi Playing the Sho from the series New Biography of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Original Japanese Woodblock Print.
Date: 1883
Publisher: Matsuki Heikichi
Dimensions: (L) 23.8 x 35.5 (R) 23.9 x 35.5 cm
The scene is of the Oda clan's Siege of Tottori in 1581. The siege lasted around two hundred days and is famous for the use of starvation tactics against the allies of the M?ri clan within the castle. At the time a general of the Oda clan, Toyotomi Hideyoshi (then known as Hashiba Hideyoshi) is shown with his retainers in sight of Tottori castle. Hideyoshi was aggressive in his assault, erecting towers to surround the castle and buying out rice at extremely high prices in order to successfully cut of the castle's food supply. Hideyoshi is depicted playing the sh?, a free reed instrument which originated from China and was often used in the Japanese imperial court music gagaku. The sh? is said to resemble the cry of a Phoenix, and its unique assemblage of pipes allows its player to sound a cluster of tones.
Unapplied pigment on left print. Small spot of white pigment.
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