Wadatsu Ryūō Tarō Masatatsu with Dragon and Assailant 1866

This woodblock print was made by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, a key master of the ukiyo-e style. It depicts Wadatsu Ryūō Tarō Masatatsu grappling with an assailant while a dragon looms behind them. Yoshitoshi worked in Japan during the Meiji Restoration, a period of rapid modernization and social upheaval. Woodblock prints, traditionally a popular art form, began to be challenged by photography and Western painting styles. Yoshitoshi sought to revitalize the medium by incorporating new subjects and techniques while also drawing on traditional Japanese mythology and historical narratives. Here, the fierce imagery of the dragon and the warrior’s struggle speaks to the anxieties and transformations of the era. The print also reflects the artist’s engagement with the changing role of art in a rapidly modernizing society. To fully understand this work, one would need to consider the history of Japanese printmaking, the cultural significance of dragons, and the social context of the Meiji Restoration. Only then can we appreciate the complex layers of meaning embedded in this image.