Musha-e () is a type a

Japanese art Japanese art covers a wide range of art styles and media, including ancient pottery, sculpture, ink painting and calligraphy on silk and paper, ''ukiyo-e'' paintings and woodblock prints, ceramics, origami, and more recently manga and anime. It ...

that was developed in the late 18th century. It is a genre of the

ukiyo-e Ukiyo-e is a genre of Japanese art which flourished from the 17th through 19th centuries. Its artists produced woodblock prints and paintings Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surfac ...

woodblock printing Woodblock printing or block printing is a technique for printing text, images or patterns used widely throughout East Asia and originating in China in antiquity as a method of printing on textiles and later paper. Each page or image is create ...

technique, and represents images of warriors and

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

from Japanese history and mythology.

History

Edo Period

The earliest examples of musha-e were created in the late 18th century as illustrations for classical stories of Japanese literature. During that period, artists like

Masanobu Okumura Masanobu (written: , , , , , , , or ) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese ''kugyō'' *, Japanese painter *, Japanese samurai *, Japanese ''daimyō'' *, Japanese print designer, book publisher and ...

were prominent. As the ukiyo-e technique thrived during the 19th century, musha-e became more popular. Kuniyoshi, a famous printmaker, specialized in warrior images and produced a series of prints known as the ''108 Heroes of the Suikoden''. During the late Edo period, censorship laws passed by the

Tokugawa Shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...

made the creation of musha-e more difficult. Artists and publishers therefore often changed the names of characters or events depicted. Artists from the Utagawa School such as

Kunisada Utagawa Kunisada ( ja, 歌川国貞; 1786 – 12 January 1865), also known as Utagawa Toyokuni III (, ), was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist. He is considered the most popular, prolific and commercially successful designer of ukiyo-e woodbloc ...

or Hiroshige produced many musha-e prints.

Meiji Period and after

As the Tokugawa Shogun was overruled by the Meiji Emperor, the rapid Westernisation of Japan brought many changes in society. Nationalism grew considerably, and the epic history of Japanese warfare was brought to a new light. Artist

Yoshitoshi Tsukioka Tsukioka Yoshitoshi ( ja, 月岡芳年; also named Taiso Yoshitoshi ; 30 April 1839 – 9 June 1892) was a Japanese printmaker. Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric. (2005)"Tsukoka Kōgyō"in ''Japan Encyclopedia,'' p. 1000. Yoshitoshi h ...

produced several musha-e depicting generals and heroes of Japan. As the country grew militarized, musha-e shifted from depictions of legendary warriors to actual soldiers and generals. By the beginning of the 20th century, this shift led the creation of a new style, senso-e, meaning "images of war".

Gallery

Chikamatsu Kanroku Yukishige.jpg, By Ogata Gekko from his ''47 Ronin'', between 1895 and 1903 Yoshitoshi - 100 Aspects of the Moon - 4.jpg, By

Yoshitoshi Tsukioka Yoshitoshi ( ja, 月岡芳年; also named Taiso Yoshitoshi ; 30 April 1839 – 9 June 1892) was a Japanese printmaker. Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric. (2005)"Tsukoka Kōgyō"in ''Japan Encyclopedia,'' p. 1000. Yoshitoshi h ...

from his '' 100 Aspects of the Moon'', Hokusai Onikojima Yataro and Saihoin Akabozu jpk00600 0640.jpg, By

Hokusai , known simply as Hokusai, was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist of the Edo period, active as a painter and printmaker. He is best known for the woodblock printing in Japan, woodblock print series ''Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji'', which includes the ...

featuring

Kojima Yatarō was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period, who served the Uesugi clan of Echigo Province. He was one of Uesugi Kenshin's leading generals. His ferocity in combat gave rise to his nickname, . He was also sometimes called "The Ogre" because ...

and Saihoin Akabozu,

References

{{Authority control Ukiyo-e genres