Satsuma War Samurai Mushae Print

This battle ukiyo-e depicts a scene from the Seinan War, a rebellion led by the Kagoshima samurai led by Saigo Takamori, in which they fought fiercely against government forces. The rolling heads and bloodied appearance of the soldiers testify to the brutality of the conflict, but also to the superiority of the government forces. This battle ukiyo-e also reveals that its artist, Suzuki Toshimoto, was heavily influenced by his teacher, Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, who became famous for his so-called "humane" paintings.

Suzuki Toshimoto 鈴木年基, better known as Rainosuke 無惨絵, was an Osaka-based ukiyo-e artist who used the pseudonym Raisai/Raisai. His years of birth and death are unknown, but in 1877 (Meiji 10), he became the editor and publisher of the illustrated book "Satsuma Taisenki" (Record of the Great Satsuma War), and it is therefore believed that the beginning of his life dates back to the beginning of the Ansei era (1854) or the Kaei era (1848-1854).

Unfortunately, this print is a trythic in poor condition, part of it has thick paper to protect the work, despite this print has historical importance since it depicts the last struggles of the samurai order against the imperial troops at the fortress of Kumamoto.