Preparatory drawing of Sumoto Sakyō

Sumoto Sakyō (the figure on the right wearing the light yellow jacket) was a participant in the Shimabara Rebellion (1637–38), an uprising in southern Japan against drastic tax increases and the prohibition of Christianity. This was the largest civil conflict during the Edo period (1603–1868), and the rebel forces of around 30, 000 men, most of them peasants, were defeated by an army of 125, 000 soldiers sent by the Tokugawa shogunate. The red underdrawing reveals that Yoshitoshi was originally thinking of positioning Sakyō’s feet in the front in a different way. Even greater deliberation went into the design of his left hand, which is trying to remove the grip of his opponent. Yoshitoshi placed a piece of paper over the area so he could draw it again.