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61
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UTAGAWA KUNIYOSHI (1797–1861)
See original version (French)
61
-
UTAGAWA KUNIYOSHI (1797–1861)
See original version (French)
Estimate €1,500 - €1,800
Voluntary lot
Description
UTAGAWA KUNIYOSHI (1797–1861)
Watanabe no Tsuna confronting the demon Ibaraki at Modoribashi Bridge
From the Honchō musha kagami series ‘Mirror of the Warriors of Our Land’
Japan, Edo period, 1855, 4th month
Polychrome nishiki-e woodblock print, ink and colours on paper
Ōban tate-e format, 35 × 25 cm
Signed Kuniyoshi ga 国芳画
Artist’s seal: kiri
Censorship seal: aratame
Publisher: Tsujiokaya Bunsuke 辻岡屋文助
This print belongs to the series *Honchō musha kagami* (‘Mirror of the Warriors of Our Land’), in which Kuniyoshi paid tribute to Japan’s legendary heroes. It depicts Watanabe no Tsuna (953–1025), one of the four principal companions of the warrior Minamoto no Yorimitsu, known as Raikō, fighting Ibaraki-dōji, one of the most famous demons in Japanese tradition. The print is part of an edition published in 1855 by Tsujiokaya Bunsuke. The design had previously been published in an earlier version around 1845 by Izumiya Ichibei.
According to the legend illustrated here, Watanabe no Tsuna meets a beautiful woman at the Ichijō Modoribashi bridge, who asks him to accompany her. She suddenly reveals her true demonic nature and attacks him. Tsuna then draws his sword, the Higekiri, and cuts off one of her arms. This episode forms part of the extensive cycle of tales devoted to Raikō and his warriors, in which the world of historical heroes is constantly intertwined with that of oni and supernatural beings.
Kuniyoshi captures the climactic moment of the confrontation. Tsuna, standing in an extremely stable stance, occupies almost the entire right-hand half of the composition. His powerful body, with its strongly defined muscles, contrasts with the fantastical silhouette of Ibaraki, who looms behind him amidst heavy black clouds. The two figures are linked by their intertwined arms, concentrating all the dramatic energy in the centre of the image.
The colour scheme accentuates this contrast. Tsuna’s orange-red skin tones and the geometric patterns on his clothing stand out against the almost monochrome background of black clouds, whilst the demon’s blue-green body already belongs to another visual realm—that of the supernatural. Ibaraki’s clawed hand resting on the warrior’s head, his disproportionate limbs and animalistic features immediately reveal his nature as an oni.
This scene should be distinguished from another famous tradition linking Watanabe no Tsuna to the demon of Rashōmon. In the Modoribashi version depicted here, Ibaraki first appears in human form before transforming. After cutting off his arm, Tsuna keeps it as a precious keepsake. A few days later, the demon returns in the guise of an old woman—sometimes depicted as the hero’s aunt or former wet nurse—manages to persuade him to show her the severed limb, seizes it and flees. This succession of metamorphoses, violence and deception explains the episode’s exceptional popularity in theatre, literature and printmaking.
Kuniyoshi was one of the great masters of musha-e, the art of warrior prints. In his works, the heroes’ physical strength is frequently put to the test by supernatural adversaries, allowing him to combine heroic narrative, dramatic tension and a taste for the fantastical. This print, produced in the final years of his career, is entirely in keeping with this world, where human bravery is pitted against the unsettling forces of the otherworld.
B. W. Robinson, *Kuniyoshi: The Warrior-Prints*, series S87.
Robert Schaap, *Heroes & Ghosts: Japanese Prints by Kuniyoshi 1797–1861*, Hotei Publishing, 1998, p. 114, no. 106. A copy of this print is reproduced therein.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
About the sale
Art Animation VII: Monsters, Villains and Antagonists
Auction location
Auction time
10/18/2026 at 3:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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