one sheet; two men fighting; man at left wears red garment with purple lining, green pants with purple floral designs, purple sleeves with black patterning and black boots, and holds the hair of the man at right in his PL hand; man at right wearing yellow kimono, white pants and straw sandals and holds the PL wrist of other man in his PL hand, and holds other man's hair in his PR hand

Sumoto Sakyō, February 1874

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Sumoto Sakyō (the figure on the right wearing the light yellow jacket) was a participant in the Shimabara Rebellion (1637–38), an uprising in southern Japan against drastic tax increases and the prohibition of Christianity. This was the largest civil conflict during the Edo period (1603–1868), and the rebel forces of around 30,000 men, most of them peasants, were defeated by an army of 125,000 soldiers sent by the Tokugawa shogunate.

The red underdrawing reveals that Yoshitoshi was originally thinking of positioning Sakyō’s feet in the front in a different way. Even greater deliberation went into the design of his left hand, which is trying to remove the grip of his opponent. Yoshitoshi placed a piece of paper over the area so he could draw it again.

Details
Title
Sumoto Sakyō
Artist Life
1839 - 1892
Role
Artist
Accession Number
2017.106.119
Catalogue Raisonne
Keyes, Courage and Silence (1982), no. 289.13; Iwakiri, Yoshitoshi (2014), p. 284.
Curator Approved

This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.

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one sheet; two men fighting; man at left wears red garment with purple lining, green pants with purple floral designs, purple sleeves with black patterning and black boots, and holds the hair of the man at right in his PL hand; man at right wearing yellow kimono, white pants and straw sandals and holds the PL wrist of other man in his PL hand, and holds other man's hair in his PR hand