Nitta Shiro Tadatsune

Nitta Shirō Tadatsune (1167–1203) was a Kamakura-period samurai associated with the Fuji no makigari, the hunt staged by Minamoto no Yoritomo at the foot of Mount Fuji in 1193, during which he is said to have descended into a cave and slain a serpent or encountered the mountain goddess Asama. Yoshitoshi's print likely portrays Tadatsune in martial costume — armored and sword-bearing, perhaps in the moment of confrontation — a subject well suited to the dramatic chiaroscuro and tactile detail of the artist's mature [musha-e](/glossary/musha-e). Heavy black key-blocks define lacquered armor lacings and sword fittings, while [bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) gradation across the sky deepens the atmospheric tension. Tadatsune appears in Yoshitoshi's broader catalogue of historical heroes drawn from the Heian and Kamakura epics — material the artist returned to throughout his career in series such as One Hundred Aspects of the Moon (Tsuki hyakushi) and Mirror of Famous Generals of Japan. The print exemplifies Yoshitoshi's effort to dignify the [ukiyo-e](/glossary/ukiyo-e) tradition through subjects rooted in classical Japanese narrative.