Japanese Warrior Prints, 1646-1905 is the first publication in the English language devoted entirely to the most neglected of the major genres in the history of Ukiyo-e: musha-e or images of warriors. Musha-e recreate in vivid detail the tales, adventures, and battles of the great samurai heroes of Japanese history, especially from the tenth through sixteenth centuries.
The publication is divided into two parts. The first is an 'Introduction' to the genre of musha-e, including discussion of the evolution of the genre and the various influences that came into play in its development. The second comprises a 'Catalogue' of over 230 full-colour illustrations dating from the mid-seventeenth to twentieth centuries which have been grouped into sixteen subject categories. The works in the catalogue section have been selected from the best and most representative examples in public and private collections in Japan, the United States, Canada and Europe. The individual entries in the 'Catalogue' contain descriptions of the prints and of the warriors, legendary figures and historical or mythical events depicted. A great deal of emphasis is placed on the iconography of these prints and on the sources that the print artists used to establish their pictorial vocabulary.
Japanese printed warrior images-in book and sheet form-were produced from early on in the history of commercial woodblock prints and books, and all major artists designed warrior scenes. However, the genre received relatively little attention well into the nineteenth century until the publication of the first set of Suikoden prints (c. 1827-30) by Utagawa Kuniyoshi. His career and his contribution to musha-e have been the subject of much scholarly attention, but this is not the case with the entire range of the genre. It is the aim of this publication to redress that imbalance, and the result is an invaluable visual source that vividly brings to life the diverse history of musha-e and will serve as a useful guide to those interested in Japanese history and legends.
Japanese Warrior Prints, 1646-1905
James King
Yuriko Iwakiri