Utagawa Kuniteru – The Great Battle of Oku-Aizu: Ashina...

** This work is a fine example of how artists reported politically sensitive news in 1868. The title names Ashina Moritaka, a 16th-century lord of Aizu, but the subject, the defeat and surrender of Aizu, matches the events of that year, when the Aizu domain held out against the imperial army and surrendered after the siege of Wakamatsu Castle. Using an older historical name as cover was a standard way to publish current military news while censorship still applied. Contemporary buyers would have understood exactly what was being shown ** Artist: Utagawa Kuniteru (歌川国輝), signed Ichiunsai Kuniteru [confirm generation] Title: 奥會津大合戦 芦名盛隆敗走 遂ニ降伏平定圖 – Oku-Aizu ōgassen, Ashina Moritaka haisō tsui ni kōfuku heitei zu (The Great Battle of Oku-Aizu: Ashina Moritaka Flees, Finally Surrenders, and the Region Is Pacified) Subtitle (left sheet): A distant view from the Imaichi road near Nikkō, over the Takahara pass, to Bandai-san and Lake Inawashiro Subject: The Aizu campaign of the Boshin War, presented under a historical disguise Technique: Original woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and colour on paper Date: c. 1868 Format: Vertical ōban triptych, three separate sheets, each approx. 37*25cm CONDITION Impression & Colours: A well inked impression with colors maintains their vibrancy across the sheet. The whole landscape composition presents very well. Paper: The paper is firm with some minor wears along the margins and minor soiling across the sheets. Good condition for this rare design! About the Aizu War The Aizu domain, under Matsudaira Katamori, was the most determined supporter of the Tokugawa shogunate in the north and became the main target of the new government's forces in 1868. The campaign ended with a month-long siege of Wakamatsu (Tsuruga) Castle and the domain's surrender in the autumn of that year. The fall of Aizu, including the story of the young Byakkotai fighters, became one of the defining episodes of the Meiji Restoration. About the artist The name Kuniteru was used by several Utagawa artists, and none of them is widely known today. Kuniteru II (1829–1874), a pupil of Kunisada, is best known for scenes of Japan's modernisation; he is described as depicting the manners and sights of the late Tokugawa and early Meiji eras, particularly early industrial scenes, and in 1873 he designed educational prints published by the Ministry of Education. A large landscape like this shows an ambitious side of an artist who is usually remembered for smaller-scale genre work, and that is exactly why it deserves a second look from collectors

Estimate:£335.03

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