Mino, Ushiwaka Maru at the Inn, sword in hand. Bijin mitate.

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 title specifies a mitate (witty comparison) — a beautiful woman playing the role of Ushiwakamaru at an inn, sword in hand, adopting the martial posture of Yoshitsune's boyhood identity in the Mino province setting. The bijin mitate genre transformed famous warrior scenes into feminine equivalents, the incongruity of the delicate figure wielding a sword creating the intended visual humor. Kuniyoshi's treatment likely emphasizes the tension between feminine beauty and martial pose.

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 Bijin-ga Prints

Woman with Parasol

1915

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A dancing girl, maiko, in winter

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Maiko — 舞妓の図

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Woman in Blue Kimono

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Featured in Collections

Curated cross-cuts that include this print.

Bijin-ga: Japanese Beauty Prints Japanese Ghost and Yōkai Prints

Frequently Asked Questions

Mino, Ushiwaka Maru at the Inn, sword in hand. Bijin mitate. was created by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (歌川国芳).

Mino, Ushiwaka Maru at the Inn, sword in hand. Bijin mitate. depicts bijin-ga, warriors, and architecture.