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「元禄日本錦」 「こ」「◆FAE1◆野十平二次房」「そ」「早水藤左エ門満尭」 by Kawanabe Kyosai — Japanese Woodblock print

「元禄日本錦」 「こ」「◆FAE1◆野十平二次房」「そ」「早水藤左エ門満尭」

by Kawanabe Kyosai

Medium:
Woodblock print
Image courtesy of
Metropolitan Museum of Art

Description

A further sheet from the 「元禄日本錦」 (Genroku Nihon Nishiki) series, this print presents two more of the forty-seven Ako ronin identified by their iroha sequence designations (「こ」and「そ」): the retainers listed include names corresponding to Hayami Tozaemon Mitsutaka, one of the ronin who participated in the assault on Kira's mansion in Edo. The iroha syllabary ordering — a system that assigns each of the forty-seven kana characters to one of the forty-seven ronin — was a common device in Chushingura-related print series, allowing publishers to market sheets individually while maintaining a coherent collecting framework. Kyosai's contribution to this well-established genre would have been distinguished by the vigour of his figure drawing: poses informed by his training in Kano-school academic figure painting overlaid with the popular energy of Kuniyoshi-influenced warrior imagery he absorbed in his youth.

More Prints by Kawanabe Kyosai

Frequently Asked Questions

「元禄日本錦」 「こ」「◆FAE1◆野十平二次房」「そ」「早水藤左エ門満尭」 was created by Kawanabe Kyosai (河鍋暁斎).