Night Rain at Narumi by Utagawa Kuniyoshi

In this print, one of Kuniyoshi’s outstanding designs, we see the scowling figure of Yoshimoto, clutching a spear, imprisoned behind bars of rain as if in a cage – a metaphor for his imminent defeat. Behind him a subaltern’s face reveals the defeat and fear that is masked in the General’s look of resignation. The background to the scene is the decisive victory by one of Japan’s most successful military commanders, Oda Nobunaga. Outnumbered and in retreat, Nobunaga launched a counter offensive on Yoshimoto’s camp in the rain and at night. His famous speech before the successful assault sums up the spirit of the samurai that was so revered in Japan for so many centuries.

source:http://www.toshidama-japanese-prints.com/item_585/Kuniyoshi-Military-Brilliance-for-the-Eight-Views–Night-Rain-at-Narumi.htm