Mino, Ushiwaka Maru at the Inn, sword in hand. Bijin mitate.
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Source:
- Art of Japan
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
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
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.