Samurai Musician Print

This print was made by Sadahide (1807-1873), its title is "At Chihaya Fortress, Kusunoki Masashige enjoys a performance of music and spiritual singing", it is a trytych but unfortunately only one page is presented.
The condition of this print is slightly deteriorated by worm bites and it would be dated between 1847-1852 (depending on the censorship seal applied).

The central character is Kusunoki Masahige who is at his fortress surrounded by these warriors who all play musical instruments.
Kusunoki Masashige (楠木正成, 1294 – July 5, 1336) was a military leader of the nanbokucho era. A samurai of modest origin, he fought on behalf of Emperor Godaigo in his attempt to regain control of Japan from the kamakura shogunate. From the Meiji era onwards, his name became synonymous with extreme loyalty and devotion to the emperor.

Utagawa Sadahide (1807 - 1879) was an ukiyoe artist of the late Edo and Meiji eras. He is known for his paintings of Yokohama, bird's eye views, and composite scroll illustrations. His first name was Gountei (五雲亭 Sadahide. His caricature names include Okaisha Kinryu, Tantōan Tsurumaru, and Shōtei Juzan. He also drew maps using the ukiyoe technique under the name Hashimoto Gyokuransai.