Act XI, Part 1: The Night Attack Advances

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Act XI, Part 1: The Night Attack Advances

Utagawa Hiroshige; Publisher: Izumiya Ichibei

Date
c. 1835–39
Medium
Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper
Department
Asian Art
Institution
Minneapolis Institute of Art

The complex Kabuki epic Chñshingura concludes in act 11, in which the forty-seven loyal retainers finally avenge the wrongful death of their lord. This print shows the men uniformly dressed crossing a bridge in the stealth of night as they make their way to the enemy's mansion. The snow-covered landscape of Hiroshige's design accords with the season when the true revenge took place. In the foreground, two samurais unload ladders, which will be used to scale the mansion's walls. In contrasting the warrior's dark silhouettes with snow covered bridge, Hiroshige skillfully created an ominous atmosphere that suggests the collective mental state of the vengeful warriors. Japan, Asia

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