Act Four (Yodanme), from the series Treasury of the Forty-Seven Loyal Retainers (Chushingura)
1801-02
The drama Chushingura, originally created for the puppet theater, was a wildly popular kabuki play. It was also the subject of innumerable print series. Its eleven acts provided a cast of colorful characters and exciting events tailormade for the stage and the woodblock print. Here, Utamaro juxtaposes episodes from the play-illustrated in square insets at the upper right of the prints-with commonplace scenes of daily life.
--Catherine Roche, Curatorial Associate, 2010
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Sheet: 15 1/4 x 10 1/2 in. (38.7 x 26.7 cm)
Gift of Mary and Allan Kollar, in honor of the 75th Anniversary of the Seattle Art Museum
2017.23.14
Provenance: Collection of Mary and Allan Kollar, Seattle, Washington; to Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington, 2017
Photo: Colleen Kollar Zorn