"Oishi Se'emon 大石瀬右衛門 / Gishi shijushichi zu 義士四十七図"

A portrait sheet from Gekko's series Gishi Shijushichi Zu (Illustrated Forty-Seven Loyal Retainers), depicting Oishi Se'emon, one of the retainers of the Ako domain who participated in the 1703 vendetta that became the defining narrative of samurai loyalty in Japanese culture. Gekko produced individual bust or full-figure portraits of each of the forty-seven men, each sheet combining a close study of the sitter's expression and costume with identifying cartouche text. Oishi Se'emon—not to be confused with the group's leader Oishi Kuranosuke—is shown in the distinctive attire of the night raid: dark clothing, headband, and sword. Gekko's line work in these portrait sheets is controlled and characterful, avoiding the theatrical exaggeration of earlier Chushingura imagery in favor of a dignified, individualized treatment that aligns with Meiji-era reappraisals of the retainers as national exemplars.