Author: Utagawa Kunimaro (歌川国麿).
Subject: Jirōtayū Abe no Sadatō (二郎太夫 安倍貞任).
Genre: musha-e (武者絵).
Size: large (ōban, 大判) 33,7cm x 22,9cm ( 13,26 x 9,01 inches).
Period: c. 1850 ~ 1875.
Trimmed: yes
Backed: no
Code: UKM01001
Condition: general conditions are good. The color maintains good saturation across most of the image surface.
There are some stains on the right border and wrinkles in the bottom left and right corners. No damage or fixing has occurred.
The print has been trimmed.
This print depicts Abe no Sadatō, a warrior of the Abe clan (Abe uji, 安倍氏) lived in the 11th
century.
His clan was set in which by the time was called Mutsu province (Mutsu no kuni, 陸奥国)
extending across the modern prefectures of Fukushima, Miyagi, Iwate, Aomori and Akita.
His father, Yoritoki (頼期), was put in charge of overseeing the Ainu population, defending the
northern
boundaries of the territory, and for this he had been bestowed of one of the highest the military
rank by the time: the Chinjufu Shōgun (鎮守府将軍).
During the Former nine years war [(Zenkunen no eki, 前九年の役) including some truces the conflict
spanned from 1051 to 1063], he fought alongside with his father against the Minamoto clan (Minamoto
uji, 源氏).
It was one of the numerous conflicts bursted between samurai clans struggling for
power
Yoritoki was killed in 1057, and Sadatō succeeded him as the clan leader, winning one battle after
another until 1062, when the Minamoto's troops were joined by reinforcement and put Sadatō under a
siege. After having run out of supplies, saw is troops attacked and his fortress set aflame he
surrendered.