Genjigumo ukiyo-e awase, Utagawa Kuniyoshi, 1845 (late Edo)

The great 12th-century general taira no tomomori ties himself to an anchor so that he may die by his own hand and not from enemy action as defeat nears in the famous sea battle at dan-no-ura (1185). In "the tale of genji," as her death approaches, lady murasaki insists on making the arrangements for her own funeral rites. Date: 1845 (late Edo). Place of creation: Edo (present-day Tokyo, Japan). Dimensions: 37.7 × 25.5 cm (14.8 × 10 in). Medium: pigments on mulberry paper. Collection: Walters Art Museum. Iseya Ichibei - Genjigumo ukiyo-e awase - Walters 95104 - Detail A