Act Four (Yodanme), from the series Treasury of the Forty-Seven Loyal Retainers (Chushingura)

1801-02

Japanese, 1754 - 1806

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

Not currently on view

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Fleeting Beauty: Japanese Woodblock Prints, Apr. 1 - July 4, 2010. Text by Catherine Roche. Cat. no. 30, reproduced p. 53.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Renegade Edo: Japanese Prints and Toulouse-Lautrec, July 21 - Dec. 3, 2023. Text by Xiaojin Wu. No cat. no., pp. 75, 101, reproduced pl. 39 and on cover.

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