Tom Franck: The Tragedy of Sakura Sogō

There are few words other than tragic to describe the quest of Sakura Sōgo: a village leader who attempted to help his people by petitioning the shogun for aid, despite illegally bypassing the chain of command due to the apathy and tyrannical rule of local lord Hotta Masanobu.[1]  The Tale of Sakura Sōgo, published in either 1885 or 1886 by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, depicts the scene of Sakura leaving his family for Edo, knowing that he would likely never see them again; it is works like this that offer insight into the mentality behind the common people around the era immediately following the Meiji Restoration.[2]

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, while raised in a troubled household himself, published his woodblock prints from a young age at prices the public could afford.¹ In a time when tensions were high between supporters of the shogun and the imperial sympathizers (as well as economic recession), Yoshitoshi portrayed the scene inside Sakura’s home to be one of humble, if not poor accommodation.  Windows are broken, the wall has a hole in it, and the children are dressed in a collection of different fabrics, implying that Sakura Sōgo’s family was not one of samurai or imperial descent, but rather a poor farmer trying to provide for his kin.[3]  While Sakura was indeed a farmer, he was also a village headman and may have lived in more desirable conditions given that status, despite the political and economic turmoil.  However, Yoshitoshi probably emphasized the family’s low class in an effort to gather a wider public audience.¹ 

Although Sakura Sōgo’s petition occurred centuries before the publication of The Tale of Sakura Sōgo, the importance of resurrecting this scene resides in the parallels between the two eras.  At the time of the publishing of this woodblock print, the Japanese people had split between supporting the old shogunate government and supporting the emperor’s practical power, causing a period of unrest and violence throughout the country.  Furthermore, the people of Japan, due to this fundamental decision, were forced to think about the changing world and whether or not they were willing to accept the globalization of Japan.  To further draw on peasant sentiment, Yoshitoshi likely produced this work in response to the Chichibu Incident of 1884, when impoverish farmers marched against Edo to protest deflationary policy and falling agricultural prices.  Yoshitoshi draws upon these feelings of confusion and despair by presenting this print with darker colors, most notably grays and browns; while the Japanese are torn between two factions, Sakura is torn between his duty and belief of protecting the people and his love for his family.  To honor Sakura after his death, the people of Japan erected a temple in his honor, writing poems and songs about his ventures, making the village leader one of the most celebrated figures in Japanese history.[4]

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi while not explicitly creating an image of violence or civil unrest, took the story of Sakura Sōgo and presented it to the public, hoping that the prominent feelings of unease and decision in the print would resonate with modern viewers, troubled by the political changes of the time.  This offers an essential glimpse into the lives of the Japanese in the mid nineteenth century, and should the works of Yoshitoshi follow the Meiji period accurately, it would be interesting to see how much darker in nature his wartime paintings appear.