COLLECTION DETAILS

A scene of The Battle of Ujigawa River, which appears in The Tale of the Heike. The battle occurred in January 1184, at the end of the Heian era, and was fought between Kiso Yoshinaka and the forces of Minamoto no Noriyori and Minamoto no Yoshitsune, sent by Minamoto no Yoritomo. Sasaki Shiro Takatsuna and Kajiwara Genta Kagesue were mounted on horseback in the vanguard before the river, a high flowing torrent of whirling snow melt. Takatsuna, on Ikezuki – the splendid horse given to him by Yoritomo – was determined to be the first to reach the front line, so he called out to Kagesue in front that his saddle girth was loose. As Kagesue rushed to tighten it, Takatsuna overtook him and forged forward into the river. The incomparable steed Ikezuki traveled powerfully straight across the fast current of the Uji river, while Kagesue, mounted on Surusumi, was driven downstream by the current and made shore at a much lower point. Takatsuna made an incredible vanguard attack, joining battle with a loud cry of his name. In the center of the piece is Sasaki Shiro Takatsuna, a brave warrior on a dappled horse. He is making land from the river, splashing the water dramatically. Behind him, to the right, the figure of Kajiwara Genta Kagesue can be seen astride a black horse, struggling in the current.