Yoshitoshi: Watanabe no Tsuna and the Demon at Rashômon Gate (Sold)

Artist: Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839-1892) Title: Picture of Watanabe no Tsuna cutting off the Demon’s Arm at Rashomon Gate: RASHOMON WATANABE NO TSUNA ONI NO UDE KIRU NO ZU Date: 1888, December 20 The warrior hero Watanabe no Tsuna (953-1025) confronts Ibaraki, the demon of Rashômon Gate, during a fierce storm. He holds a signpost, which he will soon exchange for a sword, which he will wield to sever her arm. Yoshitoshi has chosen the dramatic moment when the adversaries first meet, as Watanabe has not yet had time to hammer in his signboard (which reads kinsatsu, "prohibited"). The horse is beautifully rendered and rears up, the movement countering the diagonal intensity that comes down from the upper left. We follow Watanabe's gaze up to the demon, who clings to the vermilion pillar with her three-toed claws and one three-clawed hand. She glares down at the warrior, the bright red of her gaping mouth the brightest color in the artwork. The flashes of lightning and driving rain echo her