Kyosai here turns "seppuku" (ritualized suicide) into something treated humorously: suicide by disembowelment is about to be performed on a blowfish. This print represents a scene from a play that parodies one of the most popular dramas in japan, "kanadehon chushingura. " based on a true story, the original play is about forty-seven loyal samurai sworn to avenge their master's death. In act 5, the father-in-law of kampei, one of the samurai, is robbed and murdered by a bandit. Date: 1878 (Meiji). Place of creation: Tokyo, Japan. Dimensions: height: 18.5 cm (7.3 in); width: 24.1 cm (9.5 in). Medium: pigments on mulberry paper. Collection: Walters Art Museum. Kawanabe Gyosai - Zashiki juku doke Chushingura - Walters 95653
Loading...
