Act 2 (Nidanme), from the series "The Revenge of the Loyal Retainers (Chushingura)"

Discussion

FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

As in the Shunsho version of this scene, the young lovers Konami and Rikiya stand in silence. In the background, Konami’s father descends the staircase into a garden. On the right, her mother enters to receive Rikiya’s message that Lords Asano and Wakasa must appear the next day at the shogun’s court. Wakasa stands on an engawa in the background. Here and in other prints in this series, Hiroshige suggests only a small part of the play’s complex events. The tale was so well known in Hiroshige’s generation that a hint was enough for the viewer to recall the whole.

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