Stories of A Hundred Heroes of High Renown, Part I

(Meikô hyaku yû den)

Publisher: Izumi-ya Ichibei

1843-1844

 

The prints in this series are each about 14 by 10 inches (36 by 25 centimeters), a size known as ôban.

 

No image available

 

Scene: Mukwan-no-tayû Atsumori in armor playing a flute

Robinson: S31.1

 

Scene: Musashi-bô Benkei seated, wearing court robes over armor, having just written inscription dated 1184 on notice board

Robinson: S31.2

 

Image courtesy of Pierre Wijermans

 

Scene: Empress Jingô Kôgô robed and seated on a rock with two jewels in a bowl on the rock’s summit

Robinson: S31.3

 

Scene: Kadzusa no Shichibyôye Kagekiyo wielding a broken beam as he resists arrest

Robinson: S31.4

 

Scene: Kajiwara Kagesuye seated looking at a notebook with brush in hand and his armor standing behind

Robinson: S31.5

 

Scene: Uyesugi Kenshin seated on a stool in armor holding a general’s baton (sahai)

Robinson: S31.6

 

Scene: Sakata no Kintoki breaking two millstones with his bare hands

Robinson: S31.7

 

Scene: Taira no Kiyomori in later life seated on a mat with a potted tree beside him

Robinson: S31.8

 

No image available

 

Scene: Suruga Jirô Kiyoshige in armor with a huge anchor

Robinson: S31.9

 

Scene: Kusunoki Masashige in court robes seated beside a celestial globe

Robinson: S31.10

 

Scene: Kamei Rokurô Shigekiyo in armor on one knee examining his sword with arrows on the ground

Robinson: S31.11

 

Image courtesy of Marie de Strycker

 

 

Scene: Taira no Shigemori standing in cap and full court robes

Robinson: S31.12

 

Scene: Hatakeyama Shigetada seated on a chest, a notebook on his knee and a brush in his hand, in full armor with a helmet-crest of rabbit’s ears

Robinson: S31.13

 

Scene: Takeda Shingen seated on stool in full armor with prayer beads and a war-fan

Robinson: S31.14

 

Scene: Satô Tadanobu in armor on one knee putting on a greave (shin armor) with his helmet beside him

Robinson: S31.15

 

Scene: Sasaki Takatsuna in armor with surcoat and court cap, fan in hand, standing in a respectful posture

Robinson: S31.16

 

Scene: Takechi-no-sukune as old man in court robes and Chinese collar seat on fur rug, his war-fan on a stand beside him

Robinson: S31.17

 

Scene: Kataoka Hachirô Tameharu with a straw coat over his armor holding his sword and a weighted chain

Robinson: S31.18

 

I am grateful to Ward Pieters for locating this image.

 

Scene: Chinzei Hachirô Tametomo with a huge rough bow, seated on a rock and shading his eyes

Robinson: S31.19

 

This is another state of the above print.

 

Scene: Soga Gorô Tokimune feet planted wide apart, glares ahead while grasping a very long sheathed sword

Robinson: S31.20

 

A later and greatly simplified printing of the above design

‘Robinson’ refers to listing in Kuniyoshi: The Warrior-Prints by Basil William Robinson (Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, 1982) and its unpublished supplement.

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