KUNISADA. MUSHA-E: Samurai.

From fierce samurai to legendary heroes, musha-e (???) celebrate the traditional Japanese warrior. Translating to “warrior pictures,” this genre of ukiyo-e (pictures of the floating world) is marked by consistent fluidity between fact and fiction, truth and fable. As they conflate history, legend, literature and theater, these prints offer fantastic renderings of familiar characters from Japanese culture. The seal ‘kiwame’ appears in the ukiyo-e prints from 1790 until 1841).