Preliminary identification
Photo reference
5 uploaded photos
Overview
This dramatic Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock print depicts the legendary samurai warrior Nitta Shiro Tadatsune encountering the mystical serpent goddess inside a cave beneath Mount Fuji. Spanning two panels as a diptych, the composition masterfully balances the tense, armed stance of the warrior against the fluid, ethereal form of the half-woman, half-snake deity.
Story
In 1203, the shogun ordered samurai Nitta Shiro Tadatsune to explore a mysterious, pitch-black cavern beneath Mount Fuji. Deep inside, instead of a simple cave, he encountered a terrifying serpent goddess who guarded the sacred mountain's spiritual core.
Maker / Origin
The print is signed by Utagawa Shigemitsu (active mid-19th century), a skilled artist of the famous Utagawa school, which dominated the ukiyo-e genre during the Edo period. Shigemitsu was a pupil of Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III), inheriting the school's signature dramatic character expressions, intricate armor details, and dynamic supernatural compositions.
Condition & Value
The prints show typical signs of age, including minor edge wear, light creasing, and some thinning of the handmade mulberry paper. There is a visible vertical seam where the two panels meet, suggesting they may have been previously bound in an album.
Full Research
Sold comps, value drivers, and venue guidance pulled from recent auction results.
Build on this identification
Layer in sold comps, value drivers, and venue guidance.
Comparable demand stays strongest where maker, originality, and venue confidence line up. Broader examples still trade, but the range tightens quickly when provenance, condition, or selling lane fit is missing.
Best Venue
Specialty auction or a focused dealer with buyers already in this lane.
Signed example with light edge wear and original frame.
Comparable format with stronger provenance and cleaner surface.
Smaller related piece with visible craquelure and trimmed margins.
Period match with softer condition and weaker subject matter.
Close market lane comp with similar material and presentation.