Hiroshige Utagawa
Japanese, 1797–1858
Seiemon Aritaya, publisher
Prologue, 1843-1847
Color woodblock print
Gift of Louis W. Hill, Jr. P.78.65.77

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Chu-shingura: Japan's Favorite Story

Saturday, October 30, 2010—Sunday, February 20, 2011
Louis W Hill Jr. Gallery of Japanese Prints (239)
Free Exhibition

Chu-shingura, or "Treasury of Loyal Retainers," is a fictionalized account of a true incident that occurred in the early 18th century. While serving at the shogun's court, Asano Naganori, the lord of a small rural fief, drew his sword on an abusive master of ceremonies, Kira Yoshinaka. For this egregious breach of protocol at court, Asano was forced to commit ritual suicide. His fief was confiscated, and his retainers were disbanded. On a snowy night in 1703, forty-seven of Asano's most loyal retainers attacked Kira's mansion and beheaded him. For over a year, these men had plotted in secret to avenge their lord's disgrace and death. Although they were all arrested for their crime and forced to commit suicide, the general populace lauded them as heroes for their fierce loyalty.

The event was quickly adapted for the Kabuki stage in several versions. That of 1748, known as Chu-shingura, became a box-office hit and has remained popular ever since. Woodblock print artists at first designed images of actors playing Chu-shingura roles. After the early 19th century however, people were so familiar with all the characters and subplots that artists depicted scenes from the play without reference to specific performances or actors. The prints in this gallery show some highlights of the Ch-shingura story as well as the actors who delivered memorable performances of Japan's favorite drama.