Nagao Kagetora Attacking Nagao Harukage
Utagawa Yoshitora Japanese
Nagao Kagetora was the birthname of Uesugi Kenshin (1530–78), one of the most famous warriors of Japan’s Warring States period of the late 15th and 16th centuries. In the late 1540s, Kagetora, at only fifteen years of age, wrested control of the Nagao clan from his older brother Harukage (1509–53). In this triptych, Kagetora appears on horseback at lower right as his troops march on his brother’s castle. A banner visible just to the left of Kagetora’s head bears the Chinese character 毘, the first character of the powerful Buddhist guardian deity Bishamonten, of whom Kagetora was known to be a fervent devotee.
On view for rotation 4.