Tsukioka Yoshitoshi 1878-1882 Tsukioka Yoshitoshi’s “Mirror of Famous Generals of Japan” is a series of fifty-one ukiyo-e prints produced in the early Meiji Period. The series depicts shoguns, heroes, warlords and other great commanders from Japan’s mythological era to the early Edo Period. This work depicts a scene from Minamoto no Yoritomo’s hojoe (Buddhist “life release” ritual), in which he reportedly released a thousand cranes at Yui-ga-hama beach.

Utagawa Sadahide 1844 After defeating the Taira clan at Dan-no-ura in 1185, Minamoto no Yoritomo held a memorial service for his father Yoshitomo in Kamakura. The honorific term u-bakuka in the Japanese title refers to the residence of the eastern commander as well as Yoritomo himself. Yoritomo is depicted under the eaves on the left, carrying his son Manju-maru on his shoulders among a crowd of his vassals. He is accompanied by Hojo Yoshitoki (son of Hojo Tokimasa). The work shows us Yoritomo’s retainers at the time.

Utagawa Kuniyoshi 1843-47 Sumo has been considered a religious ritual since ancient times. The Azuma Kagami, a history book that the Kamakura shogunate compiled, contains an article about Yoritomo having sumo wrestlers and samurai wrestle. The names of thirty-four warriors are displayed on the roof of the building in the rear. The fighter on the left is Famous wrestler Nakai. On the right is Honda Jiro Chikatsune, a renowned soldier who fought under warlord Hatakeyama Shigetada. The referee is Ogata Saburo Koreyoshi, who reportedly accompanied the fleeing Minamoto no Yoshitsune to Kesennuma (in Miyagi Prefecture) when Yoshitsune’s capture was ordered. He reportedly rebuilt Hata Shrine there in 1190.

Utagawa Kuniyoshi 1805-42 Yoritomo held the banquet mentioned in the title in 1193 as part of a hunting ritual on Mount Fuji. The work contrasts the eager and emboldened Soga Goro Tokimune (on the left, in front of the sliding door) with his elder brother Juro Sukenari, calmly sitting on the right. In the foreground is Kobayashi Asahina Yoshihide, the son of Wada Yoshimori. At Yoshihide’s left is Kewaizaka no Shosho, a courtesan from the Oiso Kuruwa brothel. On the right is Toragozen, another courtesan and a mistress of Juro Sukenari.

Utagawa Kuniyoshi 1818-30 The “Six Immortal Poets” refers to Sojo Henjo, Ariwara no Narihira, Fun’ya no Yasuhide, Kisen Hoshi, Ono no Komachi and Otomo no Kuronushi. They are the six representative poets mentioned in an ancient Japanese poetry anthology called the Kokin Wakashu. Based on the story of the Genpei War, each poet represents a samurai warrior that fought in the conflict. Sojo Henjo is Gen sanmi Yorimasa (top right), Fun’ya no Yasuhide is Taira no Tadanori (bottom right), Ono no Komachi is Kenreimon-in (top center), Ariwara no Narihira is Minamoto no Sanetomo (bottom center), Otomo no Kuronushi is Minamoto no Yoritomo (top left), and Kisen Hoshi is Rensei Hoshi (bottom left).

Utagawa Yoshikazu 1855 After Yoritomo’s death in 1199, the Kamakura shogunate was placed under a council system of thirteen warriors. Soon after that, however, Kajiwara no Kagetoki was impeached, and died the following year. In 1203, Hiki Yoshikazu lost his position after the Hiki Rebellion, and the council system gradually collapsed. Wada Yoshimori, who was the director of the samurai dokoro (board of retainers), had a disagreement with the regent Hojo Yoshitoki. That led to the Battle of Wada, which shook the shogunate administration and resulted in the death of Yoshimori and his whole clan.

This is a satirical caricature of warlords of the Kamakura Period as portrayed by the Six Immortal Poets. The text in the tags next to each character describes their historical situations with a touch of irony. It also seems to allude to the various forces at work in the midst of the revolution that took place in Japan at the end of the Edo period when this was created.

Benzaiten, shown here with eight arms, is crowned by a torii gate and Ugajin (an ancient Japanese god of grain) in the form of a serpent. This is a unique Japan version of Benzaiten, which has merged with Ugajin and strengthened its aspect as a deity of good fortune. The fact that the deity carries not a biwa (Japanese short-necked wooden lute) but an armament strongly indicates his nature as a god of battle. The lower part of the drawing depicts the fifteen children who are his followers. According to the "Enoshima Engi," Benzaiten is said to have alighted with his fifteen children, who were his followers, when the earth vibrated and Enoshima emerged from the seabed in the 13th year of Emperor Kinmei (552).