紫の大徳寺焼香／賤ヶ嶽中川清秀討死 / Taikoki no uchi 太閤記の内

The "Taikoki no uchi" (太閤記の内, "From the Chronicle of the Taiko") series depicted episodes from the life of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. This print presents two related scenes: the incense-burning memorial ceremony at Daitokuji temple in Kyoto's Murasakino district (紫野大徳寺焼香), held in 1582 following Oda Nobunaga's assassination at Honnoji, and the death of the general Nakagawa Kiyohide at the Battle of Shizugatake (賤ヶ嶽中川清秀討死) in 1583. Both events were pivotal in Hideyoshi's consolidation of power. The contrast between the elaborate ceremonial setting of Daitokuji and the battlefield violence of Shizugatake creates a compositional and narrative tension typical of Gekko's multi-scene historical formats. Gekko rendered Sengoku-period armor, weaponry, and court dress with documentary precision, reflecting the Meiji era's sustained appetite for historical narrative prints that traced the formation of unified Japan through its warrior past.