「教導立志基」 「十四」「佐藤嗣信」

Number fourteen in the Kyōdō Risshi no Motoi series, this print depicts Satō Tsuginobu (佐藤嗣信, d. 1185), the loyal retainer of Minamoto no Yoshitsune who died shielding his lord from an arrow at the Battle of Yashima during the Genpei War. His act of self-sacrifice made him an enduring model of retainer loyalty in the samurai tradition and a frequent subject in prints and illustrated literature. Kiyochika likely renders the dramatic moment of the arrow strike or its immediate aftermath, employing strong diagonal composition typical of battle-scene imagery. The print's placement in this didactic series reinforces the Meiji-era valorization of giri (duty) and loyal service as foundations for national character.