'The Cypress Pillar: Sagi-ike Heikuro' by Utagawa Kuniyoshi, ca. 1855. From the series 'Japanese and Chinese Comparisons for the Chapters of Genji'. This image is also available on:
This print is from a series which takes the 'Tale of Genji' and draws metaphorical associations between each of the 54 chapters and a character from Chinese or Japanese folklore. The 'Tale of Genji' dates from the early 11th century, and is considered to be the oldest Japanese novel. It details the career and love life of a fictional prince, Genji, at the Heian-period court (a subject known well to the author, the daughter of a courtier). Sagi-ike Heikuro is a Japanese folk hero from near Osaka, who started off life a poor farmer before finding service as a general under Kusunoki Masatsura (a genuine historical figure and an important player in the Nanbokucho Wars in the 14th century); according to the folktales, Heikuro's life seems to have mostly been spent fighting various giant animals bare-handed. Chapter 31 of the 'Tale of Genji', the Cypress Pillar, deals with Tamakazura, a lady-in-waiting, trying to avoid marriage to an unpleasant man; the exact allusion Kuniyoshi is drawing here is a matter for debate. This portrait of Heikuro is especially interesting as Kuniyoshi tackled the exact same scene twenty years earlier, and showcases many of the developments in his style.
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