Rare Japanese Edo period woodblock print pentaptych depicting five 16th century Takeda warriors involved in the Kawanakajima campaigns against the forces of Uesugi Kenshin by Kuniyoshi (1797-1861) published by Ebisuya Shoshichi (Kinshodo) circa 1845. Each warrior is surrounded by biographical text written by Shotei Kinsui. From left to right, the seated warriors are Takeda Shingen wearing his horned helmet and holding his war fan, Yamamoto Kansuke Haruyuki in monk’s robes holding a closed fan over his blind eye, Takeda Nobushige in full armor with his helmet on a stand beside him, Kosaka Masanobu with a military armillary sphere behind him, and Yamagata Masakage with a huge iron club. Vertical oban size (14 1/4"V x 9 5/8"H). Very good overall condition with only minor fading and soiling evident. The prints were removed from an album and are lightly album backed. Slightly trimmed. Each image has a prominent horizontal centerfold as the album was constructed with each print folded in half. There is some wear at the edges (particularly at the edges of the centerfold). One image has a small repair to a tear at the bottom. Three images from this set are listed and described on page 167 (S95f.5) of B. W. Robinson’s "Kuniyoshi: The Warrior Prints," Cornell University Press, 1981. All five prints are described and illustrated in www.kuniyoshiproject.com. They are the only images known to exist and are believed to be a pentaptych. It is rare to find the complete group together. From a Scottsdale, Arizona collection.