Act 4 (Yondanme), from the series "The Revenge of the Loyal Retainers (Chushingura)"
c. 1834/39
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban
Dimensions
25.5 × 36.5 cm (10 1/16 × 14 3/8 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
33757
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Set in the provincial home of Lord Asano in Ako, this scene closely resembles Masayoshi’s version of this act, which is shown nearby. However, Hiroshige chose to depict a single scene from the act: Asano’s wife sits with attendant maids and Rikiya while arranging cherry blossoms. Arriving in the background are deputies, including Honzo, from the court to notify Lord Asano that he been condemned to commit seppuku as punishment for his knife attack in court on Lord Kira. This verdict was expected ...
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...