Chushingura, Act 6

Prints from the Age of the Samurai - With this group of Edo era prints opening at incentivized low bids, take a moment to be transported back to the age when samurai ruled Japan. During the Tokugawa Shogunate, Japan enjoyed a period of relative peace and prosperity for more than 250 years. Woodblock prints captured scenes from daily life, warriors and battles, the beauties of the Yoshiwara pleasure district, kabuki, and travelers along the Tokaido and Kisokaido roads. Watch for Age of the Samurai prints each week at Fuji Arts.

Toyokuni I's Kabuki Portraits - The great ukiyo-e master Toyokuni I is best known for his expressive kabuki designs. His portraits were part of a new trend in creating actor images that more closely resembled the real actor as seen on stage, rather than the idealized portraits that predominated the genre earlier. Toyokuni I dominated the field of actor portraits for nearly three decades, creating bold, dynamic images in his own recognizable style.

Chushingura, Act 6 - Great scene from Act 6 of "Chushingura," the classic tale of the 47 ronin. While out hunting one night, the ronin Kayano Kampei shot and killed what he thought was a boar. Discovering in the dark that he had shot a man, he stole the man's moneybag so that he could join the vendetta. Arriving home, he finds that his wife Okaru has sold herself to a brothel to provide her father with the money to join the vendetta. Here, Kampei appears to be talking to the brothel owner and his servant, who gestures at a stack of money on the floor between them. A palanquin waits outside to take Okaru away. An interesting treatment of this subject, with a nicely detailed setting.

Artist - Toyokuni I (1769 - 1825)

Image Size - Sheet size 9 3/4" x 15"

Condition - Good detail. Small loss, a few holes, repaired. Folds, wrinkling throughout.