Anonymous

Samurai with Arrows and Fallen Horse, n.d.
13 1/4 x 9 in.
Woodcut
Sweeney Art Gallery Permanent Collection
Gift of Henry W. Coil, Jr.
96.1.17 n

This anonymous woodcut is characteristic of 17th and 18th century Japanese woodblock prints. Typically woodblock prints from the Edo period depicted aspects of everyday life in Japan including, samurai warriors, the Kabuki theater and brothel district, as well as landscapes of Mt. Fuji and other well-known sites. This particular school of painting and woodblock printing is known as Ukiyo-e (Images of the Floating World).

Full of vibrant color and strong outlines, this particular woodblock print depicts a Japanese samurai warrior with his fallen horse. The image is full of action and movement, as the samurai, who may have fallen from his horse or jumped from it quickly, is poised and ready for battle with a sword at his side and arrows in his hand. On the top of the print is a representation of a Japanese handscroll that may tell the story of the samurai warrior, or possibly, the person who commisioned the print.

For more information about woodblock printing and how these prints were produced see the printing techniques page.

© UC Regents and the artist.