

Akechi Samanosuke was a cousin and retainer of Akechi Mitsuhide, the general who overthrew Oda Nobunaga at Honnōji in 1582. This 1868 print depicts Samanosuke as a warrior figure rendered in the broad, energetic style that characterized Yoshitoshi's [musha-e](/glossary/musha-e) of the late 1860s. The Akechi clan's complex legacy—simultaneously the destroyers of Nobunaga and the enemies of the victorious Tokugawa—gave them an ambiguous heroism that made them attractive subjects for popular prints.



1888
Color woodblock print; oban

n.d.
Color woodblock print
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Akechi Samanosuke was created by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (月岡芳年) in 1868, 10th lunar month.
Akechi Samanosuke depicts figures, warriors, and portraits.
Akechi Samanosuke measures 35.7 × 24.1 cm (Oban format).