Yoshitoshi - Lord Wake no Kiyomaro

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

Lord Wake no Kiyomaro Receiving Oracles from the Deity at Usa Hachiman Shrine. Wake no Kiyomaru, a trusted servant of three emperors, was known for his honesty. When a deceitful priest claimed a divine prophecy naming him the next emperor, Empress Koken sent Kiyomaru to investigate. Instead, he received a true oracle declaring that only nobles may rule and deceivers must be exiled. Yoshitoshi’s print captures the moment Kiyomaru receives the divine message, a turning point that preserved the throne and exposed the false prophet.

From the series: Twenty-four Accomplishments in Imperial Japan. It consists of images of various people (mostly samurai, with some others) who played notable roles in Japanese history. It dates from towards the end of Yoshitoshi's career, when he was about forty-two. The series was very popular while Yoshitoshi was alive, and it went through numerous printings. Several different states may be seen of these early printings (all with a red title cartouche); in some (perhaps the earliest, since it was the most work to produce) the text panel has several inclined bokashi stripes across it; in others (perhaps later), a simple band of bokashi at the top and bottom; and in others, no decoration at all.

The entire set was posthumously re-published between 1893 and 1895 by Matsuki Heikichi; paler colours were used, and some block changes were made. The easiest tell-tale for the second publishing is that the title cartouche is no longer red, but grey. The most significant change in most of the prints in that edition was the alteration of the signature: in all of them, the entire signature cartouche was removed, and replaced with a facsimile of the signature Yoshitoshi used toward the end of his life, along with a seal from that period.

Publisher: Matsuki Heikichi (Daikokuya)

Date: 1893

Condition: Very good impression and color. Backed with Edo-era paper.

Genre: Ukiyo-e

Medium: Woodblock Print

https://www.yoshitoshi.net/series/24accomplishments.html