Description
Polychrome woodblock print of vertical large oban (大判) format depicting the heroic sacrifice of a young mother, belonging to the female troops made up of the wives of the rebels of the Satsuma domain (薩摩藩), hit by the fire of the soldiers of the imperial army in the waters of the Kotsuki River (甲突川) while, in the middle of a moonless night, was attempting to cut the ropes of a bamboo fence.
The work, made in September 1877 by the artist Yamazaki Toshinobu (山崎年信) is taken from the series “News of Kagoshima Rebellion” (鹿児島戦争記事) and was produced by the publisher Kodama Yashichi (児玉弥七).
The print on Japanese washi paper (和紙), despite the right signs of aging including slight wrinkles and folds as well as the presence of two tiny holes, is in good condition.
