The great battles in 1185 at Yashima and Dannoura, two port cities located along the strait between Honshū and Kyushū, constituted the turning point in the Minamoto and Taira (Genpei) War (1180-1185) and in the life of Minamoto no Yoshitsune, (1159-1189) the heroic leader of the offensive against the Taira navy. Three of these prints depict a point in the Battle of Dannoura in which Yoshitsune leaps from boat to boat to escape the commander of the Taira navy, Noritsune. This is the first and only time Yoshitsune ever retreated from a foe, according to the Tales of Heike. His retreat foreshadows the remainder of Yoshitsune's life. Yoshitsune's successes at Yashima and Dannoura would arouse the envy and suspicion of his elder brother Yoritomo (1147-1199), who calls for the capture and execution of Yoshitsune. Yoshitsune spends the remainder of his life in hiding and ultimately commits seppuku, surrounded by Yoritomo's soldiers. He is a prime example of the "loser-hero" archetype immortalized in Japanese literature, theatre, and legend. Typically in Japanese pictorial art, and seen in Yoshitoshi's prints, action moves from right to left, following the Japanese norm derived from reading text. In Kiyochika's print, the action moves from left to right, in a Western manner. Yoshitoshi resisted capitulation to Western influence, and his prints stand apart from those of his contemporaries, who adopted Western techniques more enthusiastically.

In the late 12th century, simmering intrigue at the imperial court boiled over into what would come to be known as the Genpei War (1180-1185), a monumental clash between two rival clans, the Taira and the Minamoto. The war wrought incredible havoc upon the very foundation of Japanese society, removing political rule from the emperor, placing it with the shogun, and initiating quintessential samurai tropes. Anecdotes from these battles have been reenacted in theater, literature, and art since that time.
Although physical force on the battlefield was important to the feuding clans and is celebrated in these prints, this was a period in which Machiavellian politics and intricate strategy became indispensable to fighting a successful war. The idea of loyalty, while important, was complicated by intense individual ambitions; warlords defected from the emperor's rule for their own personal gain and brothers betrayed each other in fear of undesirable competition.
During this period, the ideal of dying honorably became a value of central importance for warriors. The first act of seppuku ritual suicide committed by slicing open one's bowels with a short sword was recorded in this period, and this would come to be the death of choice for heroic warriors in the future. Seppuku was often committed to avoid the humiliation of being killed by the enemy.