A Picture of the Warrior Dai-Nanko — 大楠公之図
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Publisher:
- Watanabe Shozaburo
- Source:
- Japanese Art Open Database
$1,000–$10,000. Common subjects: $1,000–$3,000. Key value factors: Yamakawa's limited output and early death at 46 make his prints relatively scarce. Quality bijin-ga command steady prices.
A Picture of the Warrior Dai-Nanko depicts Kusunoki Masashige, the legendary fourteenth-century samurai whose loyalty to Emperor Go-Daigo earned him the honorific title Dai-Nanko, meaning "Great Lord Nanko." Masashige's doomed stand at the Battle of Minatogawa in 1336, where he fought to the death rather than abandon his emperor's cause, made him Japan's most celebrated exemplar of selfless devotion.
Shuho's woodblock print captures Masashige in full warrior regalia, his armor rendered with precise attention to the layered construction of laced plates, helmet crests, and weaponry. This subject represents a notable departure from Shuho's usual bijin-ga repertoire, showing his range as an artist trained in traditional Japanese painting at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts. The bold palette and strong compositional lines channel the martial intensity of musha-e, the warrior print tradition.
Woodblock print
c. 1828/30
Color woodblock print; surimono
Woodblock print
Woodblock print
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
A Picture of the Warrior Dai-Nanko — 大楠公之図 was created by Yamakawa Shuho (山川秀峰).
A Picture of the Warrior Dai-Nanko — 大楠公之図 was published by Watanabe Shozaburo.
A Picture of the Warrior Dai-Nanko — 大楠公之図 depicts warriors.
