Hanabusa Itcho “Night Attack by Soga Brothers”

Enlarge image by clicking on the thumbnail.

IItem No.
Title	Hanabusa Itcho “Night Attack by Soga Brothers”
Overall size
Artwork size
Artist	Hanabusa Itcho（1652-1724）
Date Created	17th century
Price	￥600,000（excluding tax）

The man who draws his sword and paces with a thoughtful expression on his face and the two young men who cling to him from behind to stop him – this is a scene from “Soga Monogatari,” a military tale about the brothers Soga Juro Sukenari and Goro Tokimune and their revenge for their father’s death.

It is the night when they are about to avenge their father’s death. The Soga brothers, who are prepared to die, entrust a memento to their followers Danzaburo and Onio, asking them to deliver it to their mother in their hometown. However, the two followers do not listen to them and appeal, “If we are the only ones to be sent home, we will die here by stabbing ourselves in the wrong place. The film depicts a tense scene in which the brothers desperately try to stop the squires from pulling out their swords and stabbing each other in the back.

While drawing on famous classics, Itcho’s composition minimizes the use of motifs, and his light brushstrokes and bright colors bring to life the fresh charm of this work.
＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿

Hanabusa Itcho (1652-1724) was a painter who studied under Kano Yasunobu (1614-1685). He was exiled in 1698 and lived on Miyakejima Island. He was pardoned in 1709 and returned to Edo (now Tokyo), where he took the name Hokusowo Itcho. He is also known for his activities as a haikai poet.

As an antique, it may have some scratches or blemishes. We recommend that you visit our store to check the condition.
If you wish, we will send you detailed photos of the item, so please feel free to contact us.