Object data
nishikie, with metallic pigments
height 200 mm × width 184 mm
Yashima Gakutei
Warrior Fighting a Dragon
Japan, Japan, c. 1822
Provenance
…; purchased from the dealer Paul Brandt, Amsterdam, by J.H.W. Goslings (1943-2011), Epse, near Deventer, 1982;1 by whom donated to the museum, 1991
Object number: RP-P-1991-464
Credit line: Gift of J.H.W. Goslings, Epse
Copyright: Public domain
The artist
Yashima Gakutei (1786?-1868), a pupil of Totoya Hokkei, was also strongly influenced by Katsushika Hokusai. He used the art-names Harunobu, Sadaoka and Yashima. In addition to his designs for surimono and kyoka collections - he was probably the most prolific designer in this genre – he was also a poet and writer as well as a great Sinologist.
Entry
A warrior fighting a many-headed dragon, his sword in his hand.
Tada no Mitsunaka, from the series Twenty-four Generals for the Katsushika Poetry Club, Katsushika nijushisho.
Minamoto no Mitsunaka (913-97), also called Tada no Mitsunaka as he lived in Tada in Settsu Province, was a military general and skilful archer of whom Edmunds writes that 'he seems to have been more celebrated for his dreams than any other form of activity'.2 The incident illustrated here also seems to relate to this activity. One day, while on a hunting expedition, he fell asleep under a tree, and a lady appeared in his dreams and presented him with a horse. He mounted the horse and then used his bow and arrows to kill a large snake that was pestering her. In view of the quite common interchangeability of snakes and dragons, this appears to be the incident depicted in the print. Keyes, suggesting confusion with Susanoo, probably has too high an expectation of the designer's general knowledge of history, although it must be admitted that such expectations may be justified in Gakutei's case at least.
One poem by Hisakataya Misora [a leader of the Hisakatayaren].
Issued by the Katsushikaren
Signature reading: Gakutei, with seal: Sadaoka
Literature
M. Forrer, Surimono in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, Leiden 2013, no. 425
Citation
M. Forrer, 2013, 'Yashima Gakutei, Warrior Fighting a Dragon, Japan, c. 1822', in Surimono from the Goslings Collection in the Rijksmuseum, online coll. cat. Amsterdam: hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.432674
(accessed 23 November 2024 01:33:05).