Kurahashi Densuke Munefusa 倉橋伝助宗房 / Gishi shijushichi zu 義士四十七図

From the Gishi shijushichi zu series, this print portrays Kurahashi Densuke Munefusa, one of the forty-seven ronin who carried out the raid on Kira Yoshinaka's mansion in 1703. Each print in Gekko's series presents an individual retainer as a subject of honor and martial purpose, contributing to the collective portrait of loyalty that the full series constructs. Kurahashi Densuke's specific role in the assault would inform compositional details such as the weapons he carries, his expression, and any environmental context referencing the night raid. The series was issued during the Meiji period, when the Chushingura story was reinforced through theater and the contemporary ideological emphasis on self-sacrifice for one's superior. Costume details are rendered with period-appropriate specificity in oban format.