Masaki Taizen Tokiyoshi
1868
This striking woodblock print by the legendary Tsukioka Yoshitoshi captures the intense gaze of Masaki Taizen Tokiyoshi, a loyal samurai from Japan's turbulent Nanboku-chō period. Dressed in a rich purple robe with a distinctive topknot, he stands before a large, dark rock formation, clutching a sword at his hip with a look of fierce determination. Created in 1868, right at the dawn of the Meiji era, this piece is part of Yoshitoshi's early work where he mastered the ukiyo-e style, blending dramatic character portraits with blocks of explanatory text that tell the hero's story. The bold lines and the character's almost cartoonish yet serious expression are classic Yoshitoshi, showing why he became the last great master of this traditional art form just as Japan was opening up to the West.
- Technique
- Woodblock print
- Material
- Paper and ink