This print, bearing the inaugural number 1 from the series Kyōdō risshi no motoi (Instructive Models of Lofty Ambition), was designed by the master Tsukioka Yoshitoshi in October 1885. The scene portrays Tsuki no Kishi Ikina, an exemplary figure of "obstinate courage" recorded in the Nihonshoki (Chronicles of Japan). The historical context is set in 562 AD during the reign of Emperor Kinmei, following the defeat of a Japanese expeditionary force by the Silla kingdom. Taken prisoner, Ikina fiercely refused to submit. The Silla commander ordered him to take down his pants, point his buttocks toward Japan, and shout, "Japanese generals, bite my ass!". Instead, the defiant Ikina—shown in the print physically pushing the shocked Silla commander to the ground with his pants down—shouted back, "King of Silla, eat my ass!". For this unwavering defiance, he was tortured and killed; his son Ojiko tragically died holding his father in his arms. Ikina's bravery was widely mourned by his peers and stood in sharp contrast to the shameful conduct of other captured Yamato officers.
#25000344
VISIONS OF THE FLOATING WORLD
From Hokusai and Hiroshige through Kunisada to Koson – 92 catalogue lots containing over 100 original woodblock prints.
