Act 5 (Godanme), from the series "Storehouse of Loyal Retainers (Chushingura)"
c. 1834/39
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban
Dimensions
25.5 × 38.3 cm (10 1/16 × 15 3/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
33762
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This is a fictional episode added to heighten the play’s suspense. During a heavy rainstorm in the mountains near Kyoto, an old peasant kneels and begs for mercy. On the right, Sadakuro, the son of Kudayu and a spy for Kira, is shown shabbily dressed in black, carrying a tattered umbrella. Sadakuro snatches the old man’s purse from the cord around his neck and kills him with the sword. The heavy rain in the image identifies the early date of the print, for printers failed to use the carved woodb...
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...