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「元禄日本錦」 「の」「吉田沢右エ門兼定」「よ」「奥田孫太夫重盛」 by Kawanabe Kyosai — Japanese Woodblock print

「元禄日本錦」 「の」「吉田沢右エ門兼定」「よ」「奥田孫太夫重盛」

by Kawanabe Kyosai

Medium:
Woodblock print
Image courtesy of
Metropolitan Museum of Art

Description

From the series Genroku Nihon Nishiki (Genroku Japan Brocade), this print depicts two of the Ako ronin: Yoshida Sawauemon Kanesada and Okuda Magodayu Shigemori. The series commemorates the 1703 vendetta in which forty-seven retainers of Lord Asano avenged his death against Kira Yoshinaka. Each panel identifies its subjects through cartouches labeled with iroha syllables — here 'no' and 'yo' — a device used throughout the series to organize the ronin roster. Kyosai likely rendered the figures in bold nishiki-e polychrome printing, drawing on his Kano-school draftsmanship to convey the gravity and martial bearing appropriate to men associated with Confucian loyalty.

More Prints by Kawanabe Kyosai

Frequently Asked Questions

「元禄日本錦」 「の」「吉田沢右エ門兼定」「よ」「奥田孫太夫重盛」 was created by Kawanabe Kyosai (河鍋暁斎).