Screen of the Genpei Battles (Yashima)

This six-panel folding screen depicts the Battle of Yashima in February 1185 (Genryaku 2). It was a part of the Genpei War between the Minamoto (Genji) and Taira (Heike) clans. From the lower left to the upper right of the composition appear several dramatic events: Satō Tsugunobu being shot by Taira no Noritsune, Nasu no Yoichi shooting down the fan held aloft by a court lady on board a Taira ship, Fujiwara no Kagekiyo, a Taira general, tearing off the shikoro (neck guard) of Mihonoya Jūrō’s helmet, and Minamoto no Yoshitsune retrieving his bow from the sea at great personal risk.
At the lower right, three Taira ships are shown with their prows facing the viewer. Inside these vessels, one can discern the figures of Emperor Antoku, Lady Tokiko (Taira no Tokiko) and Taira no Munemori.
This work belongs to a lineage of screens associated with the Freer Gallery of Art (United States) and is thought to have been produced in the Kan’ei era (1624–1644).