Yoshitoshi - Empress Jingu

Yoshitoshi Tsukioka

Jingu is a legendary figure from Japanese history, an Empress (or Empress-regent) who is said to have ascended to the Chrysanthemum throne upon the Emperor's death in 200 A.D. While pregnant with her son, the future Emperor Ojin (reigned from approximately 270-310 A.D.), she took command of the army, led a successful invasion of Korea, and triumphantly assumed the regency until her son was to come of age. She is generally depicted in male attire, if not the full regalia of a warrior.

The Kuchi-e Tradition - Kuchi-e prints are woodblock frontispiece illustrations used in the publication of Japanese novels and magazines around the turn of the 20th century. Most of kuchi-e prints were illustrations of bijin and continued the tradition of idealized beauties in Japanese art. The subjects, however, have a decidedly Meiji era feel about them and reflect the artistic movement towards more western design. Kuchi-e prints always have two folds, because of their insertion in a magazine or book as an illustrative print.

Condition: 2 folds and backed on thin Edo-era paper.

Date: 1892

Publisher: Bungei Kurabu.

Size: Oban tate-e 14 3/8 by 9 3/8 in., 36.6 by 23.7 cm