

Komagine Hachibei was an Edo-period street gambler and outlaw celebrated in popular fiction as a chivalrous underworld figure. This 1868 [nishiki-e](/glossary/nishiki-e) print depicts him in the typical stance of the Japanese outlaw hero—fierce, defiant, and possessed of a code of honor superior to that of his social betters. Yoshitoshi's repeated engagement with outlaw subjects during the late 1860s reflects a broad cultural nostalgia for the social world of Edo being rapidly dismantled by Meiji modernization.



1888
Color woodblock print; oban

n.d.
Color woodblock print
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Komagine Hachibei was created by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (月岡芳年) in 1868, 8th lunar month.
Komagine Hachibei depicts figures, warriors, and portraits.
Komagine Hachibei measures 36.2 × 24.1 cm (Oban format).