Iwami Jūtarō Kanesuke

Iwami Jūtarō Kanesuke was a legendary outlaw hero of early Edo fiction, celebrated for his defiance of authority and his chivalrous protection of the weak—a figure in the tradition of Japanese bandit-heroes analogous to Robin Hood. This 1865 print depicts him in a moment of violent confrontation rendered with the broad strokes and saturated colors characteristic of Yoshitoshi's early musha-e style. The outlaw hero genre remained popular throughout the Meiji period as a vehicle for exploring attitudes toward authority and social justice.