Chûshingura Prints

 

In 1702, Lord Asano of Akô was provoked by Kira Kozukenosuke Yoshinaka into drawing his sword in the shogun’s palace, for which he was forced to take his own life, and his estate was confiscated.  Forty-seven of Lord Asano’s retainers, who were now rônin (samurai without masters), planned, and carried out a successful attack on Kira’s palace.  Kira’s head was cut off with the same dagger Lord Asano used to commit seppuku.  (The term “hara-kiri”, although more common in English than “seppuku”, is considered in Japan to be a vulgar and disrespectful description of an honorable act.)  The 46 surviving rônin were forced to take their own lives.  These events were made into the kabuki play, “Kanadehon Chûshingura”.

 

Series

Date

Robinson*

Robinson‡

Treasury of Loyal Retainers: The Sequel (erotic) (Chûshingura Kôhen)

1829

Comic Paper Lantern Chûshingura (Dôke Chôchingura)

1830

Comical Chûshingura (fan prints) (Dôke Chûshingura)

1830

 

 

Kanadehon Chûshingura (賀名手本忠臣蔵)

1833

 

 

Kanadehon Chûshingura (chûban)

c. 1833-1835

 

 

Kanadehon Chûshingura

1835

The Chûshingura, an Assortment of Righteous Men (Chûshingura gishi zoroe)

c. 1838-1840

 

 

The Monsters’ Chûshingura (Bakemono Chûshingura)

1839-1842

Forty-seven Wooden Statues (chûban)

1846-1848

 

 

Kanadehon Chûshingura

1847

169

Stories of the True Loyalty of the Faithful Samurai (Seichû gishi den)

1847-1848

72

S54

Untitled vertical diptych series of the 47 Rônin

1847-1848

 

 

Origins of the True Loyalty of the Faithful Samurai (Seichû gishi hottan)

1848

72

S55

Stories of Faithful Hearts and True Loyalty (Seichû gishin den)

1848

72

S56

Comparison of the High Renown of the Loyal Retainers and Faithful Samurai (Chûshin gishi kômei kurabe)

1848

78

S57

Stories of the Faithful Samurai of the Red Castle (Sekijô gishi den)

1848

83

S58

Mirror of the Faithful Samurai and Loyal Retainers (Gishi chûshin kagami)

1848

82

S59

Untitled series of Chûshingura diptychs

1849

Chûshingura

1849

Untitled series of Chûshingura chûban

1849-1852

 

 

Mirror of the True Loyalty of the Faithful Retainers (Seichû gishin kagami)

1851

S71

The Fifty-three Post-stations of the Chûshingura (Chûshingura gojûsan tsuji)

1851

S72

Mirror of the Loyal Courage of the Faithful Retainers (Chûshin giyû kagami)

1852

206

 

Twelve Acts of the Lantern Chûshingura (Ju-ni dan shoku Kanadehon Chôchingura)

1852

218

Portraits of the Faithful Samurai of True Loyalty (Seichû gishi shôzô)

1853

79

S78

True Portraits of the Faithful Samurai (Gishi shinzô)

1853

75

S80

Kanadehon Chûshingura’ (かなで本忠臣蔵) is available on another website

1854-1855

69

S86

Mirror of the True Loyalty of the Faithful Retainers, Individually (Seichû gishin meimei kagami)

1857

77

S90

Pictures of the Loyal Retainers (義土銘々傳)

1857

 

 

 

Miscellaneous Chûshingura prints

 

 

 

* “Robinson 1961” indicates listing in Kuniyoshi by Basil William Robinson (Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1961).

 

‡ “Robinson 1982” indicates listing in Kuniyoshi: The Warrior-Prints by Basil William Robinson (Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, 1982) and its privately published supplement.

 

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