Yamato Takeru, by Yashima Gakutei

An image of Yamato Takeru. Gakutei, Yashima (Japanese, 1786(?)-1868). Surimono. Colour print from woodblocks, with metallic pigment and blind embossing, circa 1820-circa 1823. Ukiyo-e. Poetry by Bunkaisha Nayoshi and Tokaen Akizumi (?). Notes: From the series Katsushika nijushiko (Twenty-four Generals for the Katsushika Group). Yamato Takeru no Mikoto (81-113) was one of the many sons of the Emperor Keiko. He was sent by the Emperor to Suruga to quell the barbarians of the eastern provinces. Invited to explore a large prairie at the foot of Mount Fuji by an apparently humble ruler, he found that the enemy had set fire to the grass around him. He then used his sword, one of the heirlooms of the Imperial family, to mow down the grass and then kill the Suruga people. This scene shows his wife Oto Tachibana Hime kneeling before offering him the sword Kusanagi no tsurugi (‘the grass-quelling sword’).

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Yamato Takeru. Gakutei, Yashima (Japanese, 1786(?)-1868). Surimono. Colour print from woodblocks, with metallic pigment and blind embossing, circa 1820-circa 1823. Ukiyo-e. Poetry by Bunkaisha Nayoshi and Tokaen Akizumi (?). Notes: From the series Katsushika nijushiko (Twenty-four Generals for the Katsushika Group). Yamato Takeru no Mikoto (81-113) was one of the many sons of the Emperor Keiko. He was sent by the Emperor to Suruga to quell the barbarians of the eastern provinces. Invited to explore a large prairie at the foot of Mount Fuji by an apparently humble ruler, he found that the enemy had set fire to the grass around him. He then used his sword, one of the heirlooms of the Imperial family, to mow down the grass and then kill the Suruga people. This scene shows his wife Oto Tachibana Hime kneeling before offering him the sword Kusanagi no tsurugi (‘the grass-quelling sword’).

Image data

Accession Number: P.314-1937
Photograph copyright © The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.
Aperture: f/20.0
Focal length: 120
Camera: Hasselblad H4D-31
Photographer name: Sam Cole
Image height: 1025 pixels
Image width: 916 pixels
Processed with: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5.0 (Windows)
Filesize: 0.97MB
Exposure time: 1/250
ISO Speed: 100
Fnumber: 20/1
Captured: 2017:09:04 09:59:27

Key words

19th Century archer archery arrows blind embossing bow and arrow bowman colour printing costume Edo Period embossed embossing Emperor Keiko female Fitz_PDP Gakutei general housewife Japan Japanese Keiko male metallic pigment military Oto Tachibana Hime pigment poem poetry poets print robes surimono swords ukiyo-e wife woodblock woodcut Yamato Takeru no Mikoto Yashima Gakutei

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            "Yamato Takeru, by Yashima Gakutei"
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