Odai Matarokurô Set His Own Castle on Fire, Calmly Entered the Fiery Pit and Died; Enemy Troops Were Amazed at His Bravery (Odai Matarokurô mizukara shiro o yaki sono kakyô ni haitte jijaku sunawachi shisu tekigun kare ga yûmô ni kyôfu no zu)

「小田井又六郎自己城ヲ焼其火坑ニ入テ自若而死ス敵軍彼ガ勇猛ニ驚怖之図」

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (Japanese, 1839–1892)
Publisher: Tsujiokaya Bunsuke (Kinshōdō) (Japanese)
Blockcutter: Watanabe Eizô (Hori Ei) (Japanese, 1833–1901)

Japanese

Edo period

1866 (Keiô 2), 12h month

Medium/Technique Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper

Dimensions Vertical ôban triptych; 36.2 x 73.9 cm (14 1/4 x 29 1/8 in.)

Credit Line William Sturgis Bigelow Collection

Accession Number11.37569a-c

NOT ON VIEW

CollectionsAsia, Prints and Drawings

ClassificationsPrints

Catalogue Raisonné Ing & Schaap, Beauty & Violence (1992), #15; Asai, Kinsei nishiki-e sesôshi 1 (1935), pp. 110-1

DescriptionAsai considers this print, among others, to be a reference to the Second Chōshū Expedition (aka the Summer War) of the Tokugawa shogunate against the Chôshû domain, in June 1866.

Signed Ikkaisai Yoshitoshi hitsu (on right and left sheets)
一魁斎芳年筆

Marks Censor's seal: Tiger 12 aratame
Blockcutter's mark: Horikô Watanabe Eizô (on right sheet)
改印：寅十二改
彫師：彫工渡辺栄蔵

ProvenanceBy 1911, purchased by William Sturgis Bigelow (b. 1850–d. 1926), Boston [see note 1]; 1911, gift of Bigelow to the MFA. (Accession Date: January 19, 2005)

NOTES:
[1] Much of Bigelow's collection of Asian art was formed during his residence in Japan between 1882 and 1889, although he also made acquisitions in Europe and the United States. Bigelow deposited many of these objects at the MFA in 1890 before donating them to the Museum's collection at later dates.