Kato Kiyomasa

Artist Tsukioka Yoshitoshi 月岡芳年 (Japanese, 1839–1892)

Dateabout 1878-84

Mediumink on paper

Dimensionsimage: 47.5 x 123.5 cm (18 11/16 x 48 5/8 in.)
overall: 61 x 201 cm (24 x 79 1/8 in.)

ClassificationsPaintings

Credit LineAlexander H. Bullock Fund

Terms

Object number2002.303

DescriptionAs a retainer of the warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537–98), Katō Kiyomasa (1562–1611) participated in numerous battles, including a Korean invasion in 1592 where he reputedly hunted tigers single-handed with a spear for sport. This sensitive ink portrait shows the military leader seated in full regalia on a campstool, captured in an introspective moment. Kiyomasa’s eyeballs are unusually dark in this depiction, suggesting that they are bloodshot. As he is most often depicted in dynamic motion, Kiyomasa’s battle-weary depiction here indicates Yoshitoshi’s creativity in broadening the emotional range of conventional warrior subjects.
Label TextAs a retainer of the warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537–98), Katō Kiyomasa (1562–1611) participated in numerous battles, including a Korean invasion in 1592 where he reputedly hunted tigers single-handed with a spear for sport. This sensitive ink portrait shows the military leader seated in full regalia on a campstool, captured in an introspective moment. Kiyomasa’s eyeballs are unusually dark in this depiction, suggesting that they are bloodshot. As he is most often depicted in dynamic motion, Kiyomasa’s battle-weary depiction here indicates Yoshitoshi’s creativity in broadening the emotional range of conventional warrior subjects.ProvenanceThe Katie and Scott McDonald Collection, Rochester, NY

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