Shichi-ki-ochi, from the series "Pictures of No Performances (Nogaku Zue)"

Shichi-ki-ochi is a Meiji woodblock print of 1893 by Tsukioka Kogyo from his series Pictures of No Performances (Nogaku Zue). The title, literally The Flight of the Seven Riders, refers to the Genpei War episode in which Minamoto no Yoshitsune and six retainers escape from the defeat at Yashima, fleeing on horseback through the mountains while pursued by Heike forces. In noh, the play centers on Yoshitsune and his loyal companions, particularly Benkei, in a tense scene of disguise and evasion. Kogyo, who built his career as the leading specialist in noh-e in the Meiji woodblock era, depicts the figures in the formal robes and masks of the play rather than in literal battle costume. The Art Institute of Chicago, which holds this impression, treats Nogaku Zue as one of the defining Meiji print projects in its Japanese holdings. Compared with other sheets in the series, Shichi-ki-ochi is unusually narrative in feel, conveying a sense of forward movement even within the stillness that noh demands; Kogyo achieves this through carefully chosen costume detail and the angle of the masks and fans. For collectors interested in how the noh stage transforms the famous Genpei narratives into ritualized drama, this sheet pairs well with Kogyo's other prints of warrior plays, demonstrating his ability to handle group composition without losing the spatial logic of the noh stage.