Senzaki Yagorō Fujiwara no Noriyasu 1868

This woodblock print by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi depicts the samurai Senzaki Yagoro in a moment of intense action. Yoshitoshi lived during the end of the Edo period, a time of intense social and political change in Japan, which influenced his choice of subject matter and artistic style. Here we see the samurai in a moment of confrontation, a vivid, almost theatrical representation of violence. There is a very real tension between honoring tradition and developing alternative narratives. Yoshitoshi’s compositions often broke from traditional representations, conveying heightened emotion. Yoshitoshi experienced periods of mental instability, which some scholars have interpreted as influencing the intensity and at times, the macabre nature of his work. Does the artist's life and mental state alter the work itself and our response to it? While celebrating the figure of the samurai, known for honor and loyalty, Yoshitoshi seems to ask us to face the darker aspects of human nature and the cost of conflict.