Tomoe Gozen Fighting off Wada no Yoshimori

Artist Tamagawa Shūchō 玉川舟調 (Japanese, active about 1789–1804)

Date1790s

Mediumwoodblock print; ink and color on paper; pillar print

Dimensions59.7 x 11.1 cm (23 1/2 x 4 3/8 in.)

ClassificationsPrints

Credit LineJohn Chandler Bancroft Collection

Terms

Object number1901.224

DescriptionNarrow pillar print, at Awazu, Omi Province, in 1184
Label TextTamagawa Shucho (active c. 1790-1803) Tomoe-Gozen Fighting off Wada Yoshimori 1790s Woodblock print; ink and color on paper; pillar print John Chandler Bancroft Collection, 1901.224 The female warrior Tomoe-Gozen defied convention by fighting on the battlefield and using weapons normally reserved for male samurai. In the classic late 12th century Heike Monogatari ("Tale of the Heike [/Taira]') Tomoe is described as exceptionally beautiful, with long hair. She was also a remarkable archer and swordswoman who could handle wild horses with great skill. Tomoe became Kiso Minamoto Yoshinaka's mistress and a commander, fighting the Taira clan during the Genpei War. They were driven from the capital when Yoshinaka's lawless tyranny in Kyoto provoked the enmity of former emperor Go-Shirakawa and the jealousy ofProvenanceJohn Chandler Bancroft Collection

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