Preparatory drawing for the left and right sheets of Picture of the Gojō Bridge from the Chronicle of Yoshitsune

Date:: c. 1881
Medium:: Preparatory drawing for a print, ink on paper
Format:: Oban
Dimensions:: 38.6 × 27 cm
Source:: Minneapolis Institute of Art

Typical Price

Fine impression of ghost or supernatural subject: $2,000–$10,000
Good condition supernatural print: $600–$2,500
Later impression: $200–$700

Description

"Preparatory Drawing for the Left and Right Sheets of Picture of the Gojō Bridge" (circa 1881) is an ink-on-paper preparatory study for a [triptych](/glossary/triptych) depicting the legendary encounter between the young Ushiwakamaru (later Yoshitsune) and the warrior-monk Benkei on the Gojō Bridge in Kyoto. According to legend, Benkei had been collecting one thousand swords from those he defeated before Ushiwakamaru bested him—the defeat inspiring Benkei's lifelong devotion to his new master. The drawing preserves the compositional framework before transfer to woodblock, showing bridge architecture and figure placement.

More Prints by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

Shunkan Watching Enviously from Kikai Island as Yasuyori Returns to the Capitol after Being Unexpectedly Pardoned (Shunkan sozu Kikaigashima ni oite tamatama Yasuyori no shamen senbo kito no zu)

Looking as if She Wants to Go for a Walk: The Fashion of a Married Woman of the Meiji Era (Yūho ga shitasō, Meiji nenkan saikun no fūzoku), from the series Thirty-two Appearances of Fashion (Fūzoku sanjūni sō)

Slovenly (Shidaranasaso), from the series "Thirty-two Aspects of Women (Fuzoku sanjuniso)"

1888

Color woodblock print; oban

Four PM, from the series "Twenty-Four Hours in Shinbashi and Yanagibashi"

n.d.

Color woodblock print

More Landscapes Prints

Lake Kugushi in Wakasa Province (Wakasa Kugushiko), from the series Souvenirs of Travel I (Tabi miyage dai isshu)"

Wakasa Kugushiko

1920

Color woodblock print; oban

Autumn Maple Leaves at Takao, from the album Eight Views of Kyoto (Kyôto hakkei)

Woodblock print

The Beach at Kaiganji in Sanuki Province (Sanuki Kaiganji no hama), from the series "Collection of Views of Japan II, Kansai Edition (Nihon fukei shu II Kansai hen)"

1934

Color woodblock print; oban

Tea Kettle, section of a sheet from the series "Mirror of Stone Rubbings of Views of the Provinces" (Kohon meihitsu ishizuri kagami)

n.d.

Woodblock print; ishizuri-e, section of harimaze sheet

Featured in Collections

Curated cross-cuts that include this print.

Mount Fuji in Japanese Woodblock Prints Meisho-e: Famous-Place Prints Japanese Ghost and Yōkai Prints

Frequently Asked Questions

Preparatory drawing for the left and right sheets of Picture of the Gojō Bridge from the Chronicle of Yoshitsune was created by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (月岡芳年) in c. 1881.

Preparatory drawing for the left and right sheets of Picture of the Gojō Bridge from the Chronicle of Yoshitsune depicts landscapes, bridges, and warriors.

Preparatory drawing for the left and right sheets of Picture of the Gojō Bridge from the Chronicle of Yoshitsune measures 38.6 × 27 cm (Oban format).