Act Eleven, Scene Three, The Capture of Moronao, from the series Chushingura
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Act Eleven, Scene Three, The Capture of Moronao, from the series Chushingura
1830 - 184019th
9.21 in. x 14.02 in. (23.4 cm x 35.6 cm)
Utagawa Hiroshige (also called Ichiryusai Hiroshige; Andō Hiroshige), (1797–1858)
User Text 1 The kabuki play Copy Book of the Storehouse of Loyal Retainers is based on one of the most notorious historical events of the Edo period. On January 30, 1703, forty-seven masterless samurai avenged the death of their master, Lord Asano. After repeated provocation, Lord Asano had drawn his sword and wounded a rival official in the corridor of Edo Castle, which was a capital offense. Shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi immediately ordered Lord Asano to commit ritual suicide. His death and the subsequent vengeance by his faithful samurai came to epitomize the “way of the warrior,” immediately capturing the public imagination. This design from a series of sixteen prints depicts the climactic scene when a group of the masterless samurai discovers the villainous Kira Yoshinaka—who had provoked Lord Asano to draw his sword—hiding in a charcoal shed on his grounds. The samurai, shown in their distinctive black-and-white patterned costumes holding lanterns, surround the culprit who is defiant to the end. Given the chance to commit honorable suicide with the same blade that was used by Lord Asano, Kira refuses and is unceremoniously beheaded.
Creation Place:
Asia, Japan
Medium and Support:
Color woodcut
Credit Line:
Bequest of John H. Van Vleck
Accession Number:
1980.2125
Oban
Current Location:
Chazen : 265 : E : 2 : E : Sz2
Additional Images
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Exhibition List
This object was included in the following exhibitions:
- Chushingura, Storehouse of Loyal Retainers Elvehjem Museum of Art , 6/1/1991 - 8/11/1991
Dimensions
- Overall Dimensions: 234 in. x 14.02 in. (594.36 cm x 35.6 cm)
Bibliography List
This object has the following bibliographic references:
-
Mueller, Laura. "Competition and Collaboration: Japanese Prints of the Utagawa School." Leiden, The Netherlands: Hotei Publishing, 2007.
.
Hotei Publishing.
Leiden, The Netherlands, 2007
Page Number: p. 110, Figure Number: no. 73
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