Parody of the Ichiriki Teahouse Scene in Act VII of "Chushingura"

Artist Kiyonaga, Torii (Japanese, 1752–1815)

Dateearly 1780s

MediumWoodblock print; ink and color on paper; nishiki-e; hashira-e

Dimensions69.8 x 12 cm (27 1/2 x 4 3/4 in.)

ClassificationsPrints

Credit LineJohn Chandler Bancroft Collection

Terms

Object number1901.163

Label Text2005: Torii Kiyonago (1752-1815) Parody of the Ichiriki Teahouse Scene in Act VII of "Chushingura" Early 1780s Artist's signature: Kiyonaga ga (drawn by Kiyonaga) Publisher: Nishimura-ya Yohachi Woodblock print, ink and color on paper; nishiki-e; hashira-e John Chandler Bancroft Collection, 1901.163 Kiyonaga designed at least four pillar-print format parodies (mitate) of the Ichiriki Teahouse scene in the play Chushingura: The Treasury of the Loyal Retainers (1748)-cf. adjacent pillar print by Koryusai. In this work, Kiyonaga substitutes the figure of the samurai hero Yuranosuke reading the letter with information pertinent to his secret revenge plot, with an elegantly dressed courtesan reading a love-letter. Similarly, the figure of the traitor-spy Kudayu, is playfully transformed into a rakish young man withProvenanceJohn Chandler Bancroft, Boston, MA

On View

Not on view