The Death of Yamagata Saburōhei Masakage (Nagashino kassen Yamagata Saburōhei Masakage uchijini no zu)

Catalog note / 解説

The two sheets from a three-sheet print show a rather idealised view of the battle of Nagashino that was fought on 29 June 1575 between the forces of Oda Nobunaga and Takeda Katsuyori. By the late 16th century firearms, which had only been introduced to Japan by the Portuguese in 1543, had become the most important offensive weapon in contemporary warfare. The devastating use of guns was clearly demonstrated at the Battle of Nagashino, when Nobunaga defeated his long-standing enemy Takeda Katsuyori mainly through his decisive use of approximately 3,000 matchlocks firing successively in volleys of three ranks. Takeda’s army prefaced the battle with a traditional cavalry charge and was decima…