Horimoto Gidayu Takatoshi (Morimoto Gidayu)

Few other Japanese woodblock printmakers ever matched Utagawa Kuniyoshi's detail and artistry in the genre of warrior prints. His fantastic series, "Heroic Stories of the Taiheiki," or “Great Peace”, includes fifty full-length portraits of famous warriors involved in the closing period of the civil wars in 16th century Japan, just before unification of the country. These dramatic images show these leaders engaged in battle or posing heroically in all their military glory. Kuniyoshi captures the unique aspects of each warrior, with texts above detailing their heroic careers.

In this print, Kuniyoshi depicts Morimoto Gidayu, who fought during the Japanese intervention in Korea (1592 – 1597), possibly in the Second Siege of Jinju in 1593. Unlike the first siege, the Japanese were victorious in this battle. During the battle he was shot through the forearm, but continued to fight valiantly, despite his wound. He wears a billowing red cape (horo) over his armor which indicates that he is a high-ranking warrior. The cape made him easy to identify on the battlefield while it provided extra protection from arrows. His battle helmut (kabuto) is topped with large golden leaves, a stylized version of the more commonly used deer horns (kuwagata), and the front crest (maedate) is an elevated circle, most likely part of his family crest. (Compare this to the similar but less ornate maedate displayed in the adjacent case.) He holds his spear (yari) behind his back to the left, and his sword (nihonto) hangs across his body projecting out to the right for ease of drawing. His facial expression is meant to show his fearsomeness in battle. The Japanese text at the top of the print tells the story of Morimoto Gigayu’s military successes.