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UTAGAWA KUNIYOSHI: USHIWAKAMARU FIGHTS BENKEI ON GOJO BRIDGE WITH THE HELP OF THE TENGU UTAGAWA KUNIYOSHI: USHIWAKAMARU FIGHTS BENKEI ON GOJO BRIDGE WITH THE HELP OF THE TENGU By Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797–1861), signed Ichiyusai Kuniyoshi ga with Yoshi Kiri seal Japan, 1850 Color woodblock print on paper. Vertical oban triptych. Each signed Ichiyusai Kuniyoshi ga with Yoshi Kiri seal, censor’s seals Mera-Murata; publisher Enshuya Hikobei. Titled Ushiwakamaru fights Benkei on Gojo Bridge with the help of the Tengu. This dramatic triptych depicts the eight goblins, or tengu, who aided Yoshitsune in this battle, including the tengu king, Sojobo, who was said to have taught Yoshitsune swords-manship. He can be seen at the top of the central panel, dressed as a Buddhist monk. The young warrior himself is perched on the edge of the bridge railing while the goblins subdue the giant. SIZE of the sheet ca. 35.4 x 24.3 cm (each) Condition: Presenting well, with wear and trimmed margins. Fading, minor creasing, some folds, few stains, light soiling, and tiny tears. Mounted behind cardboard passepartout. Provenance: From the private collection of Thomas Padua, Mühldorf, Germany. Thomas Padua was an artist and collector of Japanese woodblock prints who exhibited his surimono collection at the Olaf Gulbransson Museum, in ‘Glückwünsche aus Kyoto: Japanische Shijo-Surimono aus der Sammlung Thomas Padua,’ 3 November 2013 to 26 January 2014. Minamoto no Yoshitsune is one of the most famous samurai in Japanese history. A real warrior from the 12th century, Yoshitsune became a legendary figure that featured in folktales, such as one recounting how as a young man he defeated the giant Benkei at Gojō Bridge in Kyoto. Museum comparison: Compare a closely related print, with similar seals, in the collection of the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institute, accession number S2021.5.595a-c. Compare a closely related print, with similar seals, in the collection of the Art Institute Chicago, reference number 1975.477. Auction comparison: Compare a closely related woodblock print, with similar seals, at Christie’s, Japanese and Korean Art, 20 September 2022, New York, lot 256 (sold for USD 5,292). Compare a closely related woodblock print, with similar seals, at Christie’s, Japanese and Korean Art including Arts of the Meiji period, 15 September 2010, New York, lot 655 (sold for USD 5,000).

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UTAGAWA KUNIYOSHI: USHIWAKAMARU FIGHTS BENKEI ON GOJO BRIDGE WITH THE HELP OF THE TENGU UTAGAWA KUNIYOSHI: USHIWAKAMARU FIGHTS BENKEI ON GOJO BRIDGE WITH THE HELP OF THE TENGU By Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797–1861), signed Ichiyusai Kuniyoshi ga with Yoshi Kiri seal Japan, 1850 Color woodblock print on paper. Vertical oban triptych. Each signed Ichiyusai Kuniyoshi ga with Yoshi Kiri seal, censor’s seals Mera-Murata; publisher Enshuya Hikobei. Titled Ushiwakamaru fights Benkei on Gojo Bridge with the help of the Tengu. This dramatic triptych depicts the eight goblins, or tengu, who aided Yoshitsune in this battle, including the tengu king, Sojobo, who was said to have taught Yoshitsune swords-manship. He can be seen at the top of the central panel, dressed as a Buddhist monk. The young warrior himself is perched on the edge of the bridge railing while the goblins subdue the giant. SIZE of the sheet ca. 35.4 x 24.3 cm (each) Condition: Presenting well, with wear and trimmed margins. Fading, minor creasing, some folds, few stains, light soiling, and tiny tears. Mounted behind cardboard passepartout. Provenance: From the private collection of Thomas Padua, Mühldorf, Germany. Thomas Padua was an artist and collector of Japanese woodblock prints who exhibited his surimono collection at the Olaf Gulbransson Museum, in ‘Glückwünsche aus Kyoto: Japanische Shijo-Surimono aus der Sammlung Thomas Padua,’ 3 November 2013 to 26 January 2014. Minamoto no Yoshitsune is one of the most famous samurai in Japanese history. A real warrior from the 12th century, Yoshitsune became a legendary figure that featured in folktales, such as one recounting how as a young man he defeated the giant Benkei at Gojō Bridge in Kyoto. Museum comparison: Compare a closely related print, with similar seals, in the collection of the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institute, accession number S2021.5.595a-c. Compare a closely related print, with similar seals, in the collection of the Art Institute Chicago, reference number 1975.477. Auction comparison: Compare a closely related woodblock print, with similar seals, at Christie’s, Japanese and Korean Art, 20 September 2022, New York, lot 256 (sold for USD 5,292). Compare a closely related woodblock print, with similar seals, at Christie’s, Japanese and Korean Art including Arts of the Meiji period, 15 September 2010, New York, lot 655 (sold for USD 5,000).

Estimate 2 000 - 4 000 EUR
Starting price 2 000 EUR

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For sale on Wednesday 04 Sep : 11:00 (CEST)
vienna, Austria
Galerie Zacke
+4315320452
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