When the samurai, Japan’s military class, seized control of Japan in the 1100s, they established their own artistic traditions influenced by Zen Buddhism, Confucianism and other aspects of Chinese culture. Their exploits were recorded and mythologised in various tales. The images of warriors portrayed by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi come from stories such as The tale of Heike (Heike monogatari), the legend of the battle between the Tairo and the Minomoto clans at the end of the 12th century. Another story referenced is Taikōki or Chronicle of the Taikō (or ‘Regent’) about the life of the great leader Toyotomi Hideyoshi (c1536–98), whose rule was passed to Tokugawa Ieyasu two years after his death.