Sadanobu II Woodblock Print Shinohara Kunimoto Kagoshima War Satsuma Rebellion 1877 LS #211

Hasegawa Sadanobu II (五雲齋貞信) — Single-Sheet Woodblock Print / Nishiki-e "Record of the Kagoshima War — Shinohara Kunimoto" (鹿児島戦争記事／篠原國幹)

Japan, Meiji 10, September 1877

A dramatic and finely printed single-sheet nishiki-e by Hasegawa Sadanobu II, from his series documenting the Satsuma Rebellion of 1877. The subject is Shinohara Kunimoto (篠原國幹), one of the senior commanders of the Satsuma rebel forces, depicted at a moment of crisis — bloodied across the face and neck, his fallen horse collapsed beneath him, sword still at his side. He wears a Western-style military uniform with epaulettes, reflecting the hybrid martial culture of the rebellion's leadership. Kumamoto Castle (熊本城) is visible through the billowing gunsmoke in the background, with imperial rising sun flags flying above assembled troops. A fallen military cap and a dropped sword lie at his feet. A yellow narrative text cartouche in the upper left describes the engagement; the series title appears in a red cartouche at upper right.

Engraved by Hori Kohei (彫工平); published by Kodama Yashichi (児玉弥七), Osaka, September 1877.

Dimensions: approximately 14" × 9.5" (36 × 24 cm) Weight: [placeholder]

Shinohara Kunimoto was killed in battle at Nobeoka in August 1877 — just weeks before this print's September publication date — making this a near-contemporaneous memorial image of a fallen commander. Sadanobu II's Osaka-school approach brings an unusual psychological intensity to the single-figure composition: where Tokyo artists favored crowded battle panoramas, this print isolates its subject in a moment of wounded defiance that borders on portraiture. Single-sheet named-figure prints from this series with clean paper and vivid color are scarce.

Condition: Very good; colors bright and vivid. Clean paper with good margins. No foxing, tears, or creases noted. Unframed.