Koman swimming, with the Minamoto banner in Lake Biwa, is attacked by Sanemori in a Taira barge.
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Source:
- Art of Japan
Description
Koman, a female diver and loyal partisan of the Minamoto clan, swims across Lake Biwa clutching the clan's white banner to deliver it to safety during the Genpei Wars, while the Taira general Sanemori pursues her from a barge. Kuniyoshi depicts the desperate aquatic pursuit — Koman's pale figure cutting through the water, the armed boat bearing down — with the kinetic water imagery he deployed across his career. The subject celebrates female heroism and loyalty alongside the more familiar male warrior narratives.
More Prints by Utagawa Kuniyoshi
Woman as the Hero Taisō in Palanquin Holding a Pipe
c. 1830
Woodblock print (surimono), ink and color on paper
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)"
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Frequently Asked Questions
Koman swimming, with the Minamoto banner in Lake Biwa, is attacked by Sanemori in a Taira barge. was created by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (歌川国芳).
Koman swimming, with the Minamoto banner in Lake Biwa, is attacked by Sanemori in a Taira barge. depicts music, landscapes, and rivers & lakes.