魚屋北渓　牛若丸と弁慶の双六合わせ　江戸時代

Japan was virtually controlled by samurai from the late twelfth century until the country’s defeat in the Second World War. During the Edo period, a peaceful era in which there was no major war for 250 years, the samurai redefined their warrior identity, evolving beyond soldiers to become able administrators. Their nostalgia for their heroic identity and historical battles, however, manifested itself in recurring motifs in surimono. This print features Minamoto no Yoshitsune (1159–1189), whose youthful name was Ushiwakamaru; Yoshitsune was the most celebrated warrior, though his life ended with a tragic death. Here, he appears more as an aristocrat than a warrior, winning a board game over his most faithful retainer, the priest-soldier Benkei, who holds one hand to his head and clenches the fist of his other as he tries to control his temper.