#musha-e

[kaneda18]

The floating world of Sekiro (and an appreciation of Ukiyo-e)

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[meisterdrucke]

Utagawa Kuniyoshi’s The Last Stand of the Kusunoki at Shijonawate - arrows filling the sky, with the central figure calm in the middle. Quelle: meisterdrucke.com

[hagakure-films]

Musha-e, derived from the Japanese term for 'pictures of warriors,' is a distinct genre within ukiyo-e woodblock prints. Musha-e focuses on warriors and samurai drawn from Japanese history, legends, and classical literature. Typical themes include the Genpei War (1180-1185), the Sengoku or Warring States period (c. 1467-1615), and later historical conflicts. Even prints depicting the 1877 Satsuma Rebellion, often called 'The Last Samurai,' are classified as musha-e.

Similiar to european art like the greeks and romans, Musha-e celebrated masculine prowess and tradition with a mythological flair.

Musha-e pictures also heavily influenced the Bara/gei-komi genre with both showcasing hyper-masculine men with well developed muscles, body and facial hair and violent scenarios.