Battle of Fujigawa

The Battle of Fujigawa (1180) was a confrontation between Minamoto and Taira forces in which the Taira reportedly fled after being startled by the sound of waterfowl taking flight — an episode frequently depicted in Japanese narrative art for its combination of martial tension and comedic deflation. Takeda renders this episode in silkscreen, a medium well-suited to the kind of flat, saturated color fields and bold linework that can compress chaotic battle scenes into legible graphic compositions. Given Takeda's background in cartooning and his recurring interest in historical subjects filtered through ironic sensibility, this print likely emphasizes the absurdist dimension of the encounter — warriors in full armor routed by birds — rather than conventional musha-e heroism.