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Artist unknown Japanese

Lady Tamamushi

1765
Color woodblock print; chuban
27.4 × 19.6 cm (10.8 × 7.7 in)

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In the collection of Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · as of July 2026

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FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

This print depicts a well-known scene from the famous warrior saga of the 12th century, the Tale of Heike. Here, Lady Tamamushi displays a sacred fan as she stands defiantly on the brow of a ship. She is challenging Nasu no Yoichi to destroy the fan by shooting an arrow at the pin that holds it together. He cannot aim at the fan itself since it is decorated with an image of the sun disc, and, according to temple priests, it was therefore protected from harm. The numbers for the short months of the year (1, 4, 7, 9, 11, and 12), are featured on the curtain that hangs on the boat.

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