 |
|
Home |
|
Complete Set -12 Chushingura Woodblock Prints browse these categories for related items... All Items: Archives: Regional Art: Asian: Japanese: Pre 1900: item # 119446 Please refer to our stock # 120422 when inquiring.
Floating World Gallery By appointment and on the Net Chicago, Illinois 312-587-7800 Guest Book Sold |
|
|||||||||
|
Complete set of 12 original 19th century Japanese woodblock prints by Toyokuni III (1786-1865), the 12 Acts of the Legends of the Loyal Chushingura, one of the most famous Japanese dramas. The condition, color and impression of these prints is fair to good. They are not backed, nor are there centerfolds. There is some soiling and wear to the edges. Each image measures 8 3/8 by 12 3/8 inches, including the printed borders, plus small margins. The Chushingura is a dramatic work that commemorates an historic event that took place on the 14th day of the 12th month of 1702. The Ako ronin, or lordless samurai, led by Oishi Kuranosuke attacked the Kira estate, and by beheading Kira Yoshinaka, the group avenged their deceased lord Asano Naganori. This event known as the Ako Revenge was dramatized in a variety of ways, but the most famous of these dramatizations is the Kabuki play, Kanadehon Chushingura (The Treasury of Loyal Retainers: A Model for Emulation), commonly known as simply Chushingura. As it was forbidden at the time to use the real names of the participants in this event, the play was recast in Japan's medieval period, and all of the names of the principals were changed (which is why, in the description of the act in the preceding paragraph, we describe who the major characters actually represent in parentheses). The Chushingura is made up of twelve acts, and was the subject of various series throughout the history of ukiyo-e. The scenes depicted for the individual acts became rather codified, so that the viewers of the day could immediately identify the act depicted in a print.
Enlargements and detail scans of each scene can be viewed at the following url: |
||||||||||
|
