Torii Suneemon Katsutaka Standing by a Moat 1875

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi created this woodblock print, titled ‘Torii Suneemon Katsutaka Standing by a Moat’. It is a moving depiction of duty and sacrifice set against the backdrop of feudal Japan. Yoshitoshi illustrates a scene of immense physical and emotional exposure. Torii Suneemon, nearly nude, bravely shouts a message to his comrades in a besieged castle. The tension is palpable; his body is offered up, vulnerable, against the cold stone and the threat of enemy fire. Yoshitoshi lived during a time of profound social change, as Japan transitioned from a feudal society to a modern nation-state. His work often reflects the conflicts between tradition and modernity. It is a world of shifting values and identities. Yoshitoshi develops a narrative which reflects the complexity of heroism, challenging the viewer to consider the human cost of loyalty and the weight of historical change.