Tsukioka Yoshitoshi
Edo, Japan, 1839-1892
The Blind Biwa Player
Japanese woodblock print
Yoshitoshi was a master and innovator of the ukiyo-e genre of woodblock printing and painting. He pushed the traditional Japanese woodblock into a new level and a new era.

A?biwa hoshi?musician, also known as a blind lute priest, performs for the warlord Uesgui Kenshin (1530 ? 1578) and his retainers. Kenshin is seated on a decorative cushion on the right hand side, and holds a fan whilst contemplatively listening to the music. The lute priests were patronised by Japan?s unifier Tokugawa Ieyasu and specialised in performing narratives from Japan?s epic war story the?Tale of Heike, an account of the battles between the Minamoto and Taira clan in the 12th century. Here, the performer recounts the story of the slaying of Nue, a legendary demon that appears in the?Tale of Heike. The eerie appearance of the Nue shrieking and enveloped in a thick black smog frightens the Emperor Konoe (1139 ? 1155) into ill health. The warrior Minamoto no Yorimasa (1106?1180) is called upon to slay it using an arrow from his ancestor and the tail feathers of a mountain bird. Yorimasa shoots it out of the sky and is then rewarded with the Shishio sword for restoring the emperor?s health. Hearing such tales of past military exploits served to boost morale and became an important past time for the warrior class during periods of martial instability.