Akashi Ridayu Hidemoto

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

In this series, all the characters figured in the civil wars of the sixteenth century, an era that was uncomfortably close to the Edo period's Tokugawa shogunate. Thus, all are disguised as figures in the Taiheiki (Chronicle of Great Peace), a history of the wars of royalists against the Ashikaga warlords during the second quarter of the fourteenth century. However, the names of the heroes in the series have been changed, and it is difficult to identify the actual historical figures. This print portrays Akashi Ridayū Hidemoto wearing a straw rain cloak over his armor and armed with two swords and a hoe. A straw hat and blooming iris lie on the ground at his feet. He stands firmly with tightly closed lips and brandishes the hoe in a threatening manner.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art