Okuda Magodayu Shigemori 奥田孫太夫重盛 / Gishi shijushichi zu 義士四十七図

This print is part of Gekko's Gishi Shijushichi Zu, a series of portraits depicting each of the forty-seven loyal retainers (ronin) who avenged their lord Asano Naganori in 1703. Okuda Magodayu Shigemori, among the older members of the group, is rendered in warrior's dress appropriate to the raid on Kira Yoshinaka's compound. Gekko's approach to the forty-seven ronin series emphasized individual characterization within a consistent compositional format — each retainer shown with attributes identifying his specific role in the vendetta or with weapons and armor denoting his status. The figure's posture, facial expression, and equipment would distinguish Shigemori from others in the series. The Chushingura narrative was one of the most frequently represented subjects in Meiji woodblock printing, and Gekko's version competed with Yoshitoshi's and other contemporaries'. Printed on oban-format washi with a limited but precisely registered palette, individual sheets from this series were collected as a complete set or as individual portraits.