Description
Beautiful original woodblock print by the artist Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (月岡芳年) depicting, among the falling cherry blossom petals, Inue Shinbei Masashi (犬江親兵衛仁), the youngest of the eight half-brothers Hakkenshi (八犬士) “dog warriors”, and the nun and sorceress Myochin (妙椿), who is actually a shape-shifting tanuki (狸) raccoon dog, hidden behind a bamboo blind in Tateyama Castle (館山城).
The work, taken from the famous series “Sagas of Beauty and Bravery” (美勇水滸伝), was produced in June 1866 by the publisher Omiya Kyujiro (近江屋久次郎), owner of Kiyudo (亀遊堂), and by the carver Matsushima Masakichi (松島政吉).
The print on Japanese washi paper (和紙), despite the obvious signs of aging including small restorations on binding holes, is in overall good condition.
