Stories of Courageous Generals of the Provinces of Echigo and Kai

(Kôyetsu yûshô den)

Publisher: Sumiyoshi-ya Masagorô

c. 1848-1849

Takeda Shingen of Kai Province conquered Shinano Province in 1547, expelling Murakami Yoshiharu and Ogasawara Nagatoki, who turned to Uyesugi Kenshin of Echigo Province for help. A series of battles between the forces of Takeda Shingen and the forces of Uyesugi Kenshin were fought on the plain of Kawanakajima in the northern Shinano Province near the modern-day city of Nagano. The five major battles took place in 1553, 1555, 1557, 1561 and 1564. The prints in this series are each about 14 by 10 inches (36 by 25 centimeters), a size known as ôban.

General: Takeda Daizen-no-tayû Jugo-i-geken Shinano no kami Harunobu Nyûdô Shingen standing in full armor and shading his eyes with his right hand

Side: Takeda Shingen

Number on print: 1

Robinson: S63.1

General: Takeda Sama-no-suke Nobushige helmetless, leaning on a sword enveloped in a cloud of battle-smoke with grey face and blood issuing from mouth

Side: Takeda Shingen

Number on print: none

Robinson: S63.2

General: The one-eyed general Yamamoto Kansuke Nyûdô Dôkisai Haruyuki badly wounded leaning on spear with one foot on severed head

Side: Takeda Shingen

Number on print: 3

Robinson: S63.3

General: Anayama Idzu no Kami Nobuyoshi on a breakwater of stones in basketwork defying the Uyesugi troops

Side: Takeda Shingen

Number on print: 7

Robinson: S63.4

General: Yamagata Saburohei Masakage bareheaded and with grey face plunging his sword into the neck of a fallen foe

Side: Takeda Shingen

Number on print: 10

Robinson: S63.5

General: Amari Sayemon-no-jô Haruyoshi helmetless with his fallen horse holding an open black fan in his right hand and a spear in his left

Side: Takeda Shingen

Number on print: 13

Robinson: S63.6

General: Oyamada Bitchû no Kami Masatatsu helmetless with a sword in his hand defiantly facing a volley of musket fire

Side: Takeda Shingen

Number on print: 17

Robinson: S63.7

General: Ô Hyôbu-shôyû Toramasa mounted, grasping a spear and glaring downwards

Side: Takeda Shingen

Number on print: none

Robinson: S63.8

General: Morozumi Bungo no Kami Masakiyo falling on his sword with the point in his mouth as he is blown up by a landmine

Side: Takeda Shingen

Number on print: 23

Robinson: S63.9

General: Obata Matabei Kuniharu cutting off the head of a spear while he grasps a standard in his left hand

Side: Takeda Shingen

Number on print: 21

Robinson: S63.10

General: Yamayoshi Gemba-no-jô Chikafusa struggling through a barrier of tree branches

Side: Takeda Shingen

Number on print: 10

Robinson: S63.10a

General: Kakizaki Idzumi no Kami Kage-iye cutting off the corner of a tate (wooden shield) with a stroke of his sword

Side: Uyesugi Kenshin

Number on print: 13

Robinson: S63.11

General: Kurogane Kôdzuke no Suke Hidetake holding his horse’s bridle and looking over his shoulder

Side: Uyesugi Kenshin

Number on print: 16

Robinson: S63.12

General: Uno Sama-no-suke Takamasa, amid flying arrows, grasping a standard whose streamers half cover him

Side: Uyesugi Kenshin

Number on print: 18

Robinson: S63.13

General: Nagao Tôtômi-no Kami Fujikage holding a sword while entering the enemy’s tent

Side: Uyesugi Kenshin

Number on print: 20

Robinson: S63.14

General: Matsumoto Mokusuke on one knee, having just discharged a large gun

Side: Uyesugi Kenshin

Number on print: none

Robinson: S63.15

General: Onikojima Yatarô Torahide struggling with a section of fence

Side: Uyesugi Kenshin

Number on print: 14

Robinson: S63.16

General: Usami Suruga no Kami Sadayuki, mounted on black horse deflecting a flying sword with the shaft of his spear

Side: Uyesugi Kenshin

Number on print: none

Robinson: S63.17

General: Honjô Echizen no Kami Shigenaga defending himself with a shield against a shot

Side: Uyesugi Kenshin

Number on print: 22

Robinson: S63.17a

General: Saitô Shimotsuke no Kami Tomonobu loading his musket with a ramrod in his mouth

Side: Uyesugi Kenshin

Number on print: 24

Robinson: S63.18

This series is one of several of Kuniyoshi’s that are similar in appearance, having a single full-length figure on a more-or-less plane background with a descriptive text above. While some of these have the series title in distinctively shaped cartouches, several have the series titles in vertical red cartouches with convex tops and concave bottoms. This latter group of title cartouches are reproduced below.

	Series title in Japanese: Meikô hyaku yû den Series title in English: Stories of 100 Heroes of High Renown: Robinson: S31
	Series title in Japanese: Seichû gishi den Series title in English: Stories of the True Loyalty of the Faithful Samurai Robinson: S54, except S54.38 and some copies of S54.39
	Series title in Japanese: Seichû gishi den no okori Series title in English: Origins of Stories of the True Loyalty of the Faithful Samurai Robinson: S54.38 and some copies of S54.39
	Series title in Japanese: Seichû gishi hottan Series title in English: Origins of the True Loyalty of the Faithful Samurai Robinson: S55
	Series title in Japanese: Seichû gishin den Series title in English: Stories of Faithful Hearts and True Loyalty Robinson: S56
	Series title in Japanese: Kôyetsu yûshô den Series title in English: Stories of Courageous Generals of the Provinces of Echigo and Kai Robinson: S63

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

CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO MAIN PAGE