Taira no Tadamori Captures the Priest of Midô Temple (Taira no Tadamori Midô hôshi o toraeru zu), c. 1883-1884

Produced circa 1883–1884, this print depicts the Heian-period warrior Taira no Tadamori (1096–1153) seizing a figure mistaken for a supernatural flame-bearing priest near Gion Shrine — a celebrated episode from the Heike Monogatari and related chronicles. Tadamori's cool-headed capture of what others feared was a demon established his reputation for martial composure. Kiyochika renders the scene in oban format, likely exploiting the nocturnal setting to deploy his signature kosen-ga lighting: moonlight or torch flame cutting dramatically through darkness, casting strong directional shadows across armored figure and stone architecture. The composition bridges his atmospheric Tokyo landscapes with the historical warrior print (musha-e) tradition, applying Western chiaroscuro principles to a subject previously treated in the flat decorative manner of earlier Edo masters.