Japanese Soul

A standing samurai in a brown kimono with blue sash and purple sandals raises a truncheon-like weapon overhead with his right hand while gripping a sheathed sword at his waist with his left; a second figure in a pale teal/mint robe with red accents lies sprawled upside-down on the ground beside him, limbs splayed, with a sword and scabbard fallen nearby. The palette is muted — beige background, soft browns, teal, and touches of red and purple — with two small dark birds or objects flying in the upper left. Vertical Japanese text and a red seal appear in the upper right corner of this 1896 woodblock print by Ogata Gekko, titled "Japanese Soul."