Page 184 - 2021 March 16th Japanese and Korean Art, Christie's New York City

181 UTAGAWA KUNIYOSHI
(1798-1861)

Sanuki no in kenzoku o shite

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

Tametomo)

Woodblock print, each sheet signed Ichiyusai
Kuniyoshi gaand published by Sumiyoshiya
Masagoro
Vertical oban triptych: 14¬ x 10 in. (37.1 x 25.4
cm.) each approx. (3)
$20,000-30,000

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.