On View
Not on viewObject number2016.9
Yukukawa Sanpei Munenori from the series Deeds of the Faithful Warriors (the Story of the 47 Ronin)
Artist
Kuniyoshi Utagawa
(Japanese, c.1797-1861)
Publisher
Ebiya Rinnosuke
(Japanese)
Date1847-1848
Mediumwoodblock print
Dimensionsimage: 13 7/8 × 9 5/8 in. (35.2 × 24.4 cm)
frame: 20 3/4 × 16 3/4 × 1/2 in. (52.7 × 42.5 × 1.3 cm)
frame: 20 3/4 × 16 3/4 × 1/2 in. (52.7 × 42.5 × 1.3 cm)
Credit LineGift of Stan and Connie Rajnak
Exhibition History"Impressions: Printmaking in Japan," Kalamazoo Institute of Arts Joy Light Gallery of Asian Art (Apr. 1 - July 23, 2017).Label TextYoshisaburô, the artist who would become known as Utagawa Kuniyoshi, was born in Edo (present-day Tokyo) in 1798. At the age of 14, Yoshisaburô joined the Utagawa School of ukiyo-e artists, led by Utagawa Toyokuni I (1769 - 1825). Toyokuni I gave Yoshisaburô the name Utagawa Kuniyoshi, “Kuniyoshi” being a combination of the names “Toyokuni” and “Yoshisaburô.” In 1814, Kuniyoshi ended his apprenticeship and set out as an independent artist. In direct contrast to the peaceful views of a scenic Japan provided by Hiroshige and Hokusai, the following decades saw a rise of the fierce, fearsome and fantastical in ukiyo-e. From 1847-48, Kuniyoshi designed a series dedicated to each one of the 47 samurai of legend.This sheet features a warrior known as Sanpei in the fictionalized kabuki account of historical events of 1701-1703. The revenge of the 47 rōnin, or samurai, also known as the Akō incident or Akō vendetta, happened when a band of rōnin (leaderless samurai) avenged the death of their master. The story tells of a group of samurai who were left leaderless (becoming rōnin) after their daimyō, or feudal lord, was compelled to perform seppuku (ritual suicide) for assaulting a court official. After waiting and planning for a year, the rōnin avenged their master’s honor by killing the official. In turn, the rōnin were themselves obliged to commit seppuku for committing the crime of murder. This true story was popularized in Japanese culture as emblematic of the loyalty, sacrifice, persistence, and honor that people should preserve in their daily lives. Perhaps to maintain his fighting skills, Sanpei fends off a lamp using his katana sword. The extensive narrative describes Sanpei quietly biding his time while secretly plotting with the other rōnin to avenge the death of their master. The text also includes two short poems. One describes the interdependence of a lord and his loyal retainers. The other poem contemplates the unknown journey toward death. The play subversively challenges the authority of Japan’s shogun, the chief military dictator. In accordance with Confucian ideals, filial duty — or, in this case, loyalty to a local master — is presented as paramount, even above adherence to the shogun’s law. [Collection Highlight]
