Description
This fine kuchi-e (口絵) woodblock print is a rare testimony of the artistic activity of Tsukahara Chigusa (塚原千草), younger sister of the writer Tsukahara Jushien (塚原渋柿園), and was made as a frontispiece of the second volume (第二編) of the novel published by Jushien in August 1907 and entitled “Yodo-dono” (淀殿).
The literary work in three volumes is dedicated to Lady Yodo (the figure at the top right of the scene), also known as Chacha (茶々) or Yodogimi (淀君), a prominently placed figure in late Sengoku period (戦国時代): concubine and second wife of Toyotomi Hideyoshi (豊臣秀吉), became the mother of his successor and was a protagonist of the main political events of her time, including the defense of the Osaka Castle (大坂城) during the famous siege of 1614-1615, at the end of which Yodo committed the ritual suicide seppuku (切腹).
The woodblock print, produced by the publisher Hirayama Masaguma (平山勝熊) of Ryubunkan (隆文館) and by the printer Mabuchi Sadakichi (馬淵貞吉) of the firm Kinjosha (金城社), despite a small hole under the artist’s signature, is in overall very good condition.
