Page 84 - September 21 2021 Important Japanese Art Christie's NYC

PROPERTY FROM THE SPRINGFIELD MUSEUMS
(LOTS 24-83)

77 UTAGAWA KUNIYOSHI (1797-1861)

Sanuki no in kenzoku o shite

Tametomo o sukuu zu (Picture
of retired Emperor Sanuki
sending allies [tengu] to rescue

Tametomo)

Woodblock print, triptych, each sheet
signed Ichiyusai Kuniyoshi ga, published by
Sumiyoshiya Masagoro, circa 1851-52
Vertical oban triptych: 13√ x 9æ in. (35.2 x 24.8
cm.) each approx. (3)

$20,000-30,000

PROVENANCE:
Raymond A. Bidwell (1876-1954), Springfield, Massachusetts

EXHIBITED:
“Ukiyo-e from The Museum of Fine Arts, Springfield, MA”, exh.
cat. p. 92, no. 23, exhibited at the following venues:
Itabashi Art Museum, Tokyo, 4 June-3 July, 1994
Otani Memorial Art Museum, Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture, 16 July-
21 August, 1994
Yokkaichi Municipal Museum, Mie Prefecture, 1 September-4 October, 1994

The warrior Minamoto (Genji) no Tametomo (1139-70) was defeated in the Hogen
rebellion (1156) fought between the factions of the retired Emperor Sutoku and
Emperor Go-Shirakawa. As a result he was exiled to Izu, Oshima, but then escaped
to Kyushu and formulated a plan to vanquish the Taira (Heike) clan. As part of
this plan he set sail to Kyoto, but during the journey encountered a storm and was
shipwrecked. He was then rescued by the retired Emperor Sutoku's descendants and
makes it ashore on the Ryukyu Islands.
In this work, Kuniyoshi has ingeniously combined three episodes from the same
story onto one triptych. On the left sheet is Tametomo adrift in his boat surrounded
by descendants of retired Emperor Sutoku who appear as tengu (mythical creatures
in the form of half bird, half man), who have come to rescue him. The center sheet
shows Kiheiji, Tametomo's retainer, with Tametomo's son in his arms, on the back
of a giant crocodile-shark. At first the creature tried to kill them, but was pacified
and rescued them from drowning. On the right sheet, Tametomo's wife, Princess
Shiranui, in an unsuccessful attempt to calm the storm has thrown herself into the
waves as a sacrifice.