Act 11, Part 1: The Approach to the Night Attack (Juichidanme ichi, yochi oshiyose), from the series "The Revenge of the Loyal Retainers (Chushingura)"
c. 1834/39
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban
Dimensions
23.1 × 35.4 cm (9 1/16 × 13 15/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
60390
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
The story of The Forty-seven Samurai is based on events that occurred at the beginning of the 18th century and is one of the longest plays in the Kabuki repertoire that is still performed. The drama recounts the death of Enya Hangan, who was forced to commit suicide by the evil Moronao, and the revenge sought by Hangan’s loyal retainers for their lord’s death. In the scene depicted here (which occurs toward the end of the play), the forty-seven loyal samurai are crossing Ryogoku Bridge on their ...
About the Artist
Utagawa Hiroshige · 1826–1869
Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858), born Andō Tokutarō, was the last great master of Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock printmaking and one of the most influential landscape artists in history. Born in Edo (modern Tokyo) into a low-ranking samurai family serving as fire wardens, Hiroshige transformed landscape printmaking into a poetic meditation on nature, weather, and everyday life. His revolutionary approac...