[Musha-e Painting].

[Musha-e Painting].
Original Musha-e painting [273 x 195 mm] on thin handmade rice paper. [n.p]: [c.1900].

Traditional painting in the 'Musha-e' (Warrior Pictures) tradition that depicts noble samurai warriors and battles from Japanese folklore.
Such a painting with bold marks depicting fierce characters would have been typically used for a Japanese kite. These kite designs acted like picture books for Japanese children teaching them about war heroes and mythology.
The Musha-e iconography is also an important reference point for contemporary Japanese tattoo design.

Dating from around 1900 this painting is made by an anonymous Musha-e artist with a powerful brush!