Ushiwaka (Yoshitsune) and Lady Jöruri

Catalog note / 解説

This print illustrates a well-known jöruri, or dramatic recital accompanied by music. The print depicts a love story based on events said to have taken place in the 12th century. The primary figures are Minamoto no Yoshitsune (known in his youth as Ushiwaka) and Lady Jöruri. The story became popular in the early Muromachi period, and the jöruri performance (which takes its name from the heroine) first appeared in the Edo period (17th century). In this hand-colored woodblock print, Ushiwaka is shown playing a flute outside the gate at lower left, while the heroine appears along the right border, seated on the floor and playing a koto, or large zither. The primitive perspective utilizes two s…