The Night Attack, Part 3: Mission Accomplished (Youchi san, honmo), from the series "The Revenge of the Loyal Retainers (Chushingura)"
c. 1834/39
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban
Dimensions
25.6 × 36.6 cm (10 1/16 × 14 7/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
33793
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Kira is found hiding in a shed in the courtyard after the defeat of his retainers. Asano’s death is now avenged by Kuranosuke’s killing of Kira after he refuses to commit seppuku, a tradition expected of a samurai. This scene and the play end with the ronin preparing to march to the site of Asano’s grave with evidence of their success.
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...