Fire, Picture of Sassa Narimasa’s Hard Fight in Kyushu

Sassa Narimasa sits astride his horse amid a battlefield ablaze; his retainer rests on the ground, supporting himself with a long spear. Soldiers’ corpses lay scattered on the ground, scorched by the fire. The scene depicts the Kyūshū campaign (1586–87), during which Sassa joined warrior baron Toyotomi Hideyoshi in the latter’s attempt to gain control of Kyūshū, the southernmost island of Japan. This print is one of five in a series titled Heroes and the Five Elements, in which Yoshitoshi paired historical events with the five elements: earth, water, fire, wind, and sky (Water is on display nearby).