Madaramaru appears in this 1867 print as one of Yoshitoshi's many warrior portrait subjects from the late 1860s. The figure belongs to the tradition of outlaw heroes celebrated in Edo fiction and drama—men who lived outside conventional society and embodied a code of honor measured in personal loyalty and fighting skill rather than samurai rank. The name and general type suggest a character from one of the popular adventure cycles that formed the entertainment diet of Edo commoners.



1888
Color woodblock print; oban

n.d.
Color woodblock print
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Madaramaru was created by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (月岡芳年) in 1867.
Madaramaru depicts figures, warriors, and portraits.