Gensami Yorimasa and Ino Hayata

Gensami Yorimasa — the Heian-period warrior and poet Minamoto no Yorimasa — and his retainer Ino Hayata are depicted in this undated woodblock print in the context of the legendary hunt for the nue, a chimeric beast said to haunt the imperial palace. Yorimasa shot the nue from the sky while Hayata finished it on the ground — a story retold in Noh theatre and ukiyo-e across the centuries. Kiyochika's version brings Meiji dramatic illustration technique to a classical warrior narrative.