Tachibana Morikuni

1679 ~ 1748

Tachibana Morikuni, also known as Tachibana Yūzei was an important Japanese painter, printmaker, and illustrator active in Osaka during the Edo period. A pupil of Tsuruzawa Tanzen and influenced by the Kanō school, he worked within the artistic tradition of Kamigata.
He was particularly prolific in the production of ehon (illustrated books) and drawing manuals, through which he made a significant contribution to the dissemination of the Tosa school style and to the development of popular illustration. His works, characterised by lively and expressive figures, often depict subjects drawn from legends and traditional stories.
Morikuni exerted a strong influence on both ukiyo-e artists and kabuki theatre, also through an ideal artistic connection with contemporaries such as Nishikawa Sukenobu and Okumura Masanobu. Despite his fame as an illustrator, very few of his original paintings have survived.

Artwork Description Not for Sale
Yoshitsune`s eight boat leap
Edo
This single sheet probably taken from an illustrated war tale depicts Minamoto no Yoshitsune during his legendary “Eight-Boat Leap,” as he escapes across enemy ships while being pursued by the formidable Taira warrior Noritsune. During the naval battles of 1185, Yoshitsune evades capture by leaping from one vessel to another, demonstrating extraordinary agility and tactical brilliance. His retreat was not driven by fear, but by the awareness that the battle had already been won, making any further combat unnecessary and dangerously reckless.
The episode, rooted in the Heike Monogatari, became a symbol of heroic escape and is often associated with the climactic Genpei War battles, including Dan-no-ura