JAPANESE ART > UKIYO-E WOODBLOCK PRINTS > THE BRAVE RETAINERS OF OGURI

Lot 00654
N.1 diptych of ukiyo-e woodblock prints

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

THE BRAVE RETAINERS OF OGURI

Year: 1843 ca.
Condition: good
Size: 37 x 25 cm

SOLD

Precious diptych of woodblock prints depicting on the right Ikenoshoji Sukenaga (池庄司助長) and, on the left, Kazama Jiro Masasada (風間二郎正貞), two of the ten retainers of Oguri Hangan (小栗判官) who, as told in one of the classics of the Sekkyo (説経) Buddhist narrative, were killed with poisoned sake together with their lord, who would later be allowed to come back to life thanks also to their prayers addressed to the ruler of the underworld.

The prints are taken from the series "The Ten Brave Retainers of Oguri, One by One" (小栗十勇士の一人) by the artist Utagawa Kuniyoshi (歌川国芳) and were produced, around 1843, by the publisher Yahataya Sakujiro (八幡屋作次郎).

The woodblock prints on Japanese washi paper (和紙), despite the right signs of aging, are in good general condition.

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