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Description
The medieval warrior Mori Rikimaru stands with his bloodied spear and two severed heads slung around his neck as trophies. On May 15, 1868 two thousand troops loyal to the shogunate fought a desperate battle at Ueno, in Edo, near the tombs of some of the Tokugawa shoguns. The last Tokugawa shogun, Yoshinobu (1837-1913), had in fact already surrendered his office to the new government and the shogitai ('the clear and righteous brigade') knew they were fighting a losing battle. The Imperial attack began at 10 am and was over before the evening; the loyalist troops were massacred. Yoshitoshi and his apprentice, Toshikage, witnessed this battle, and their observations resulted in his "Selection of One Hundred Warriors." Because it was unauthorized to accurately document the battle, Yoshitoshi chose to depict historical characters from the various civil wars before the Tokugawa shogunate came to power. This series especially shows his fascination with the bravery and self-sacrifice of the warriors and his response to the carnage that took place at Ueno.
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