Japanese Print "Musashibo Benkei, Kurō Hangan Minamoto Yoshitsune" by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi
Artist:Tsukioka Yoshitoshi
Title:Musashibo Benkei, Kurō Hangan Minamoto Yoshitsune
Date:early–mid 1885
Details:More information...
Source:Worcester Art Museum
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Description:
The adventures of Minamoto no Yoshitsune (1159–89) and his faithful companion the warrior monk, Musashibō Benkei (1155–89) are featured extensively in the war epic the Tale of the Heike. A popular figure in dramatic and visual traditions, Yoshitsune is usually depicted as a beautiful youth whose refinement, agility, and bearing contrast with Benkei’s grizzled appearance and demeanor. Here, Yoshitoshi shows the pair closer in age to their actual chronology, pushing the focus from romanticized drama to historical realism.
