Description
Original woodblock print of the kuchi-e (口絵) type depicting Tora Gozen (虎御前), a prostitute of the early Kamakura period (鎌倉時代). Lady Tora was the lover of Soga no Juro Sukenari (曾我十郎祐成), the eldest of the two young Soga brothers (曾我兄弟) who avenged, sacrificing their lives, their father’s murder. After Sukenari’s death, it is said that she became a nun and traveled from one pilgrimage spot to another praying for his and his brothers soul.
The work, made in January 1914 by the artist Takeuchi Keishu (武内桂舟), is taken from vol. 20 n. 1 of Bungei Kurabu (文芸倶楽部), the famous literary magazine published from 1895 to 1933 by the Hakubunkan (博文館) publishing house.
The print on Japanese washi paper (和紙), despite the right signs of aging including slight wrinkles and thinnings as well as a partial trimming of the margins, is in good condition.
