Twelfth Act
- Date:
- 1860, 5th lunar month
- Medium:
- Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper
- Format:
- Oban
- Dimensions:
- 16 × 23.3 cm
- Source:
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
Description
The "Twelfth Act" of the Chushingura (1860) depicts the climactic revenge raid itself—the forty-seven ronin storming Kira Yoshinaka's mansion in the snowy night of 1703, overwhelming his guards and finding the elderly target hiding in a coal shed. After verifying his identity, they offered him the honorable death of seppuku; when he refused, they cut off his head and carried it to their master's grave. Yoshitoshi's early treatment of this most dramatic act focuses on the chaos and determination of the raiding party.
More Prints by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi
More Snow Scenes Prints
Fair Weather After Snow at Yamato Bridge, Kyoto (Yamato bashi no yukibare), Taishô period, dated 1924
Woodblock print
The Compound of the Tenman Shrine at Kameido in the Snow (Kameido Tenmangu keidai no yuki), from the series "Famous Places in the Eastern Capital (Toto meisho)"
c. 1832/38
Color woodblock print; oban
Miyajima in Snow (Yuki no Miyajima)
Yuki no Miyajima
1929
Color woodblock print; oban
Evening Snow at Shiha Park, Tokyo
1932
Woodblock print
Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
Twelfth Act was created by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (月岡芳年) in 1860, 5th lunar month.
Twelfth Act depicts snow scenes, night scenes, and warriors.
Twelfth Act measures 16 × 23.3 cm (Oban format).