This ukiyo-e depicts Yamanaka Shikanosuke (1545-1578) with a spear on his shoulder and a sword in a black scabbard at his waist. The helmet he is wearing was given to him when he took over the reins of the family from his sickly brother.
The helmet he wears was given to him when he took over the reins of the family from his sickly brother. The crescent moon on the front of the helmet is said to have been used by Shikanosuke to pray for success in battle within 30 days. As he wished, he was able to defeat the great Kikuchi Otohachi during the battle against the Yamana clan at Odaka Castle, following his lord Amago Yoshihisa (1540-1610).
Since then, Shikanosuke came to believe in the crescent moon. Later, his lord surrendered to the Mori family. He and Katsuhisa (1553-1578), Yoshihisa’s younger brother, set out to restore the Amago family. However, their ambitions were not fulfilled, Katsuhisa committed suicide, and he was captured and executed by the enemy. Other works in the One Hundred Aspects of the Moon series depict the moon, but musha-e does not.