Ōtomo no Kanemura Fighting the Usurper Ōtodo Matori 1880

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi created this woodblock print, titled Ōtomo no Kanemura Fighting the Usurper Ōtodo Matori, during a time of significant social and political transformation in Japan. Yoshitoshi lived through the end of the shogunate and the beginning of the Meiji Restoration, a period marked by rapid modernization, Westernization, and social upheaval. This print depicts a legendary act of loyalty and bravery. It is set against the backdrop of shifting power dynamics and moral conflicts, embodying the virtues of the samurai class, such as honor, courage, and self-sacrifice. Yoshitoshi was known for his dramatic and expressive style, with the image conveying the intensity and chaos of battle. Yet, the image makes me think about how loyalty and valor are often gendered concepts. What does it mean to depict men as the sole actors in these historical dramas, and what stories are left untold when women's roles are marginalized? This print invites us to reflect on the stories we tell about our past and the values we choose to celebrate.