Cleveland Museum of Art

Chushingura: Act X of The Storehouse of Loyalty

Kitagawa Utamaro

Date: late 1790s
Medium: color woodblock print
Culture: Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)
Department: Japanese Art
Institution: Cleveland Museum of Art

Stage version: The hero Gohei bravely plants himself on a chest of armor and weapons to prevent government officials from discovering them before they are smuggled out of the house. He holds off the officials by claiming that the chest contains personal belongings of the lady of the house. Exposing these items would bring her humiliation and dishonor. See Chushingura: Perspective Picture for the "Treasure House of Loyalty" ( CMA 1985.338.10 ). Parody print: Utamaro converted this moment of lofty bravery into one of humor. A drunkard guards a cask of sake to prevent the maid from opening it.

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