Fujinoe at the Battle of Takadachi Castle, no. 1 from the series Eight Hundred Heroes of Our Country's Suikoden, One by One (Fujinoe, the Wife of Izumi Saburo Tadahiro)

This series is loosely based on Kuniyoshi’s previous series One-hundred and Eight Heroes of a Popular Suikoden All Told, and focused on Japan’s historical and fictional characters. Fewer than thirty known designs were published. This first design from the series shows the female warrior Fujinoe. She was celebrated for her bravery at the Battle at Takadachi Castle in 1189. Instead of traditional samurai armor she wears a layered kimono, which flies open as she bounds down the castle’s steps and topples two adversaries. She wields both a naginata, a type of lance often associated with female warriors, and a samurai sword.