Discomfiture of Benkei on Gojo Bridge by Yoshitsune, assisted by the Tengu

Medium:: Woodblock print
Format:: Oban
Source:: Art of Japan

Typical Price

Fine condition warrior print with strong impression: $1,000–$5,000
Standard warrior subject, good condition: $500–$2,000
Later impression or common subject: $200–$600

Description

The famous encounter on Gojo Bridge between the boy Ushiwakamaru (later Minamoto no Yoshitsune) and the warrior-monk Benkei is one of Japan's most beloved origin stories: the young prodigy, trained in secret by tengu mountain goblins, outmaneuvers the formidable Benkei and wins him as a lifelong retainer. Kuniyoshi depicts the moonlit bridge fight with the supernatural assistance of the tengu visible in the composition, adding a mythological dimension to the historical legend. The tengu's role as martial instructor made this a subject rich in both action and spiritual implication.

More Prints by Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Yan Qing (Roshi Ensei), from the series "One Hundred and Eight Heroes of the Popular Water Margin (Tsuzoku Suikoden goketsu hyakuhachinin no hitori)"

Poem by Abe no Nakamaro, from an untitled series of One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets

Hu Sanniang (Ko Sanjo Ichijosei), from the series "One Hundred and Eight Heroes of the Popular Water Margin (Tsuzoku Suikoden goketsu hyakuhachinin no hitori)"

Miya, Kuwana, Yokkaichi, and Ishiyakushi, from the series "Famous Places on the Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido, Four Stations (Tokaido gojusan eki yonshuku meisho)"

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

Discomfiture of Benkei on Gojo Bridge by Yoshitsune, assisted by the Tengu was created by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (歌川国芳).

Discomfiture of Benkei on Gojo Bridge by Yoshitsune, assisted by the Tengu depicts landscapes, bridges, and mythology.