“Warrior Kajiwara Kagesue” Japanese woodblock print
Size: O: 23 x 17 1/4 S: 15 1/2" x 10 1/2"
In 1183, Kiso Yoshinaka, a powerful clan of the Feudal Age, revolts against the Emperor in Kyoto, and the Emperor commands the Shogun Yoritomo to conquer the rebels. In obedience to the Imperial commands, the Shogun sends his brothers and 60,000 soldiers to the battle fields.
The rebels make tremendous efforts in defending their position ashore at the Uji River near Kyoto. In this battle the story of two heroes contending against one another for top credit is very famous. The story is as follows:
On the departure of the warriors for the front, the Shogun Yoritomo gives his excellent black steed, called Ikezuki, to Kajiwara Kagesue, one of his most devoted retainers. He gives another excellent white steed, called Surusumi, to Sasaki Takatsuna, Kagesue's rival, and lets each warrior pledge him privately to get an advantage over the other in the coming battle.
At the battle field, both Kagesue and Takatsuna watch for an opportunity to perform a glorious deed. On New Year's Day of 1184 the chance comes at last. In pursuit of the enemy, they have to cross the Uji River. Takatsuna on Surusumi and Kagesue on Ikezuki both start to the front and each tries his best in this race, hoping to take the initiative over for first place in leading the van. After a very close contest, because both are veterans of war, Takatsuna gains a victory over Kagesue and leads in putting the enemy to rout. From this contest at the Uji River the names of the two warriors become very famous in the war history of Japan.
This print is of Kajiwara Kagesue on Ikezuki.
Sadanobu Hasegawa III was born in Osaka as the son of Sadanobu II. He continued his family tradition and tried to adopt the art of Japanese printmaking to the 20th century with changing tastes and changing markets for this old trade.

Sadanobu III picks up old subjects of the ukiyo-e tradition like the kabuki theater, the bunraku puppet theater, beautiful young girls from Kyoto, genre scenes and events from Japan's medieval history and legends.

The artist shows his subjects in a style that obviously caters for a foreign market with a kind of Japanese Disneyland image.

Commissioned after the War by Uchida
Most of the woodblock prints by Sadanobu Hasegawa III were made after world war II. These were the years when tourists came back to Japan again, and when the PX stores of the American occupation forces used to order Japanese prints by the thousands as cheap souvenirs.

The large number of the designs were commissioned and distributed by Uchida publishers in Kyoto, one of the oldest publishers in Japanese prints and still in business until our days.

After all, these woodblock prints were well made - all handmade in the old Japanese woodblock tradition. Often some of the lush features like embossing of metal pigments were applied. There is nothing wrong with them. On the contrary, excellent Japanese craftmanship quality!