Act IX (Dai kudanme): Actors Sawamura Tanosuke III as Ōboshi Rikiya and Bandō Kamezō I as Kakogawa Honzō, from the series The Storehouse of Loyal Retainers, a Primer (Kanadehon chūshingura)
1862 (Bunkyū 2), 6th month
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
Image: 14 1/4 × 9 1/4 in. (36.2 × 23.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Museum Accession
Accession Number
JP1094a
Tags
Art Historical Context
This vibrant woodblock print by Utagawa Kuniaki II captures a dramatic moment from Act IX of *Kanadehon Chūshingura* (The Storehouse of Loyal Ret), the iconic kabuki play dramatizing the true tale of the 47 Ronin—samurai who avenged their lord's death in 1703. Here, kabuki stars Sawamura Tanosuke embodies the hot-headed young warrior Ōboshi Rikiya, Bandō Kamezō I portrays the wise advisor Kakogawa Honzō. Produced in 1862 during Japan's Edo period, it exemplifies *yakusha-e* (actor prints), a staple of ukiyo-e art that celebrated theater luminaries as modern celebrities. Ukiyo-e masters like K...
About the Artist
Utagawa Kuniaki II · 1835–1888
Japanese, 1835–1888