"Yagiri Shota" - Series: Biographies of Modern Heroes (1865) by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

Dimensions: 14" x 9 1/4" (35.5 x 23.5 cm)

About: "Biographies of Modern Men" is a series that focuses primarily on heroes, villains, and warriors in deadly confrontations. This piece depicts members of two rival gambling rings in 1849 Shimosa Province (now part of Chiba Prefecture) engaging in a brutal feud. This scuffle is a parallel to what would be seen as modern-day gang violence. Unlike today, these controversial figures were seen as anti-establishment icons, making them heroic figures in Edo's pop culture. Many pieces of this series became famous much later due to their unpopularity in Edo. Looking back, we can now fully appreciate the boundary-pushing realistic horrors of the natural world Yoshitoshi was depicting. Image courtesy of the Ronin Gallery. https://www.roningallery.com/custitem8/Biographies-of-Modern-Heroes