Act 11, Part 1: The Approach to the Night Attack (Juichidanme ichi, yochi oshiyose), from the series "The Revenge of the Loyal Retainers (Chushingura)"

Discussion

FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

The story of The Forty-seven Samurai is based on events that occurred at the beginning of the 18th century and is one of the longest plays in the Kabuki repertoire that is still performed. The drama recounts the death of Enya Hangan, who was forced to commit suicide by the evil Moronao, and the revenge sought by Hangan’s loyal retainers for their lord’s death. In the scene depicted here (which occurs toward the end of the play), the forty-seven loyal samurai are crossing Ryogoku Bridge on their way to Moronao’s mansion where they will eventually slay him. In the foreground, two of the samurai stand guard in a boat.

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