Daizō shasei|Big Elephants Being Attacked

Created as a triptych, the print employs the characteristic bold outlines and saturated pigments of ukiyo‑e woodblock printing. The composition balances dynamic diagonal lines with a deep blue sky and scattered clouds, while the background features stylized hills, trees, and a distant castle or temple, enhancing the sense of depth and movement.

Issued by Isshinsai Yoshikata in the early nineteenth century, the work entered the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s holdings through a later acquisition, where it is displayed as an example of dramatic narrative prints from the late Edo period.

The print reflects a popular Edo‑period fascination with exotic animals and spectacular confrontations, themes often found in theatrical and literary sources of the time. By portraying a foreign beast such as an elephant alongside a tiger, the artist taps into contemporary curiosity about the wider world while employing familiar visual conventions of Japanese print culture.