YOSHITORA · SAKURADAMON INCIDENT · ASSASSINATION OF II NAOSUKE · BAKUMATSU HISTORY · TRIPTYCH · - Japan - Edo Period (1600-1868)
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Selected by Giovanni Bottero
Holds a master’s in Japanese art history with over 10 years’ expertise in Asian art.
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Original Edo-period woodblock triptych by Utagawa Yoshitora, titled YOSHITORA · SAKURADAMON INCIDENT · ASSASSINATION OF II NAOSUKE, depicting the Sakurada Gate assassination in three vertical ōban sheets, each about 37×25 cm, from a private collection and in good condition with minor repairs.
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Description from the seller
Artist: Utagawa Yoshitora (歌川芳虎), art name Mōsai (孟斎), pupil of Utagawa Kuniyoshi
Title: 近世桜田之雪 – Kinsei Sakurada no yuki (Snow at Sakurada in Recent Times)
Subject: The Sakuradamon Incident, 3rd day of the 3rd month, 1860
Technique: Original woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and colour on paper
Signature: Mōsai ga (left sheet), Mōsai hitsu (right sheet), with seal
Format: Vertical ōban triptych, three separate sheets each approx 37*25cm
_______________________________________________________________________________
CONDITION
Impression & Colours: A strong impression. Woodgrain visible! The colors shifted blueish due to sun fading. The color palette remains vivid and well saturated.
Paper: The paper is firm but it has some issues including a minor repair on the right sheet. Some light wears on the left sheet and some waviness/creases on the upper margin of each sheet. The paper is in a fair condition. Please check the images carefully before bidding!
____________________________________________________________
About the Print
On the morning of the 3rd day of the 3rd month of 1860, the Tairō Ii Naosuke, the most powerful official of the Tokugawa shogunate, was assassinated outside the Sakurada Gate of Edo Castle on his way to the Doll Festival audience. The attackers were seventeen rōnin from the Mito domain and one from Satsuma, who opposed Ii's signing of the 1858 commercial treaty with the United States and his purge of critics in the Ansei Purge. Out of the 60 samurai guarding Ii, four died in combat and four died within days of their wounds; the Satsuma samurai Arimura Jizaemon decapitated Ii and then took his own life. Heavy snow had fallen overnight, which was unusual for Edo so late in the season, and the image of blood on snow made the event a lasting subject for prints, plays and later film. The incident is widely seen as the start of a decade of political violence that ended with the fall of the shogunate.
Under the shogunate, depicting current political events was forbidden, and early Meiji prints of the incident still disguised it. Yoshitoshi's triptych of about 1871 in the MFA Boston uses a poetic title, and the Worcester Art Museum describes his 1874 version as reflecting the last wave of reluctance to name the event directly. This triptych goes further: the cartouches give the real names of the participants, both the attackers, including Arimura Jizaemon, Kurosawa Chūzaburō, Hasuda Ichigorō, Sano Takenosuke and Saitō Kenmotsu, and members of Ii's escort.
Yoshitora was one of Kuniyoshi's most prolific pupils, known for warrior prints and for his Yokohama prints of foreigners in the 1860s. He returned to this subject in book form as well: he illustrated the Meiji publication Yayoi no yuki Sakurada shinbun, now held in the Meiji Shinbun Zasshi Bunko at the University of Tokyo.
Seller's Story
I've been collecting Japanese woodblock prints for quite a while now — everything from classic ukiyo-e to shin-hanga and sōsaku-hanga. What started as a personal passion eventually turned into something more, and these days I source prints from auctions, galleries, and private collections across Japan and Europe.
With growing worldwide interest in Japanese woodblock prints, gallery prices have been climbing steadily. My goal is simple: offer high-quality, authentic prints at reasonable prices. I'm picky about what I sell — I look for pieces that have been stored properly, kept flat, and are free from serious foxing, stains, or damage.
I'm based in Germany, which means EU buyers won't deal with any import duties or taxes. For US buyers, original artworks under HS code 9702 are duty-free as well. And wherever you are, I pack everything carefully with multiple layers of protection so your print arrives safely.
If you have questions about a piece, just reach out. You will get access to contact me once you've won an item from my lots.
Artist: Utagawa Yoshitora (歌川芳虎), art name Mōsai (孟斎), pupil of Utagawa Kuniyoshi
Title: 近世桜田之雪 – Kinsei Sakurada no yuki (Snow at Sakurada in Recent Times)
Subject: The Sakuradamon Incident, 3rd day of the 3rd month, 1860
Technique: Original woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and colour on paper
Signature: Mōsai ga (left sheet), Mōsai hitsu (right sheet), with seal
Format: Vertical ōban triptych, three separate sheets each approx 37*25cm
_______________________________________________________________________________
CONDITION
Impression & Colours: A strong impression. Woodgrain visible! The colors shifted blueish due to sun fading. The color palette remains vivid and well saturated.
Paper: The paper is firm but it has some issues including a minor repair on the right sheet. Some light wears on the left sheet and some waviness/creases on the upper margin of each sheet. The paper is in a fair condition. Please check the images carefully before bidding!
____________________________________________________________
About the Print
On the morning of the 3rd day of the 3rd month of 1860, the Tairō Ii Naosuke, the most powerful official of the Tokugawa shogunate, was assassinated outside the Sakurada Gate of Edo Castle on his way to the Doll Festival audience. The attackers were seventeen rōnin from the Mito domain and one from Satsuma, who opposed Ii's signing of the 1858 commercial treaty with the United States and his purge of critics in the Ansei Purge. Out of the 60 samurai guarding Ii, four died in combat and four died within days of their wounds; the Satsuma samurai Arimura Jizaemon decapitated Ii and then took his own life. Heavy snow had fallen overnight, which was unusual for Edo so late in the season, and the image of blood on snow made the event a lasting subject for prints, plays and later film. The incident is widely seen as the start of a decade of political violence that ended with the fall of the shogunate.
Under the shogunate, depicting current political events was forbidden, and early Meiji prints of the incident still disguised it. Yoshitoshi's triptych of about 1871 in the MFA Boston uses a poetic title, and the Worcester Art Museum describes his 1874 version as reflecting the last wave of reluctance to name the event directly. This triptych goes further: the cartouches give the real names of the participants, both the attackers, including Arimura Jizaemon, Kurosawa Chūzaburō, Hasuda Ichigorō, Sano Takenosuke and Saitō Kenmotsu, and members of Ii's escort.
Yoshitora was one of Kuniyoshi's most prolific pupils, known for warrior prints and for his Yokohama prints of foreigners in the 1860s. He returned to this subject in book form as well: he illustrated the Meiji publication Yayoi no yuki Sakurada shinbun, now held in the Meiji Shinbun Zasshi Bunko at the University of Tokyo.
Seller's Story
I've been collecting Japanese woodblock prints for quite a while now — everything from classic ukiyo-e to shin-hanga and sōsaku-hanga. What started as a personal passion eventually turned into something more, and these days I source prints from auctions, galleries, and private collections across Japan and Europe.
With growing worldwide interest in Japanese woodblock prints, gallery prices have been climbing steadily. My goal is simple: offer high-quality, authentic prints at reasonable prices. I'm picky about what I sell — I look for pieces that have been stored properly, kept flat, and are free from serious foxing, stains, or damage.
I'm based in Germany, which means EU buyers won't deal with any import duties or taxes. For US buyers, original artworks under HS code 9702 are duty-free as well. And wherever you are, I pack everything carefully with multiple layers of protection so your print arrives safely.
If you have questions about a piece, just reach out. You will get access to contact me once you've won an item from my lots.
Details
Dynastic Style/Period
Edo Period (1600-1868)
Country of Origin
Japan
Attribution
Original
Height
36 cm
Width
73 cm
Title of artwork
YOSHITORA · SAKURADAMON INCIDENT · ASSASSINATION OF II NAOSUKE · BAKUMATSU HISTORY · TRIPTYCH ·
Condition
Good condition
Provenance
Private collection
Authenticity
Original/official
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