Ρονίν που κρατά το σπαθί του κατάνα - 47 Ρονίν - Ιαπωνικό ξυλογραφικό εκτύπωμα - Ουκίο-ε - Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1865) - Ιαπωνία - Τέλη της περιόδου Edo

Artist: Utagawa Kunisada / Toyokuni III (歌川国貞 / 三代豊国, 1786–1865)
Title: The syllable “Tsu”: Sawamura Toshho II as Kanzaki Yogoro Noriyasu. 沢村訥升
Series: Seichū Gishi Den (誠忠義士傳) — Stories of the Faithful Samurai (the Forty-Seven Rōnin)

Technique: Woodblock print (ukiyo-e), colour (nishiki-e)
Date: Japan, 1864 (Genji 1, late Edo period)
Publisher: Daikokuya Kinzaburō (to confirm against the seal — see notes)
Format: Ōban tate-e, approx. 36 × 24.5cm
Signature: nanajūkyū-sai Toyokuni hitsu (七十九歳豊国筆) — "from the brush of Toyokuni, aged 79," with toshidama seal; a block-carver seal is also present

1. Impression & Colors:

Excellent color and impression. A forceful design set against the deep slate-black night ground that unifies the finest sheets of this series.

2. Paper:

Trimmed to the image with minimal margins, consistent with album mounting. The paper displays the expected character of over 160 years of age. Some minor toning overall; otherwise clean and stable. No significant damage, repairs, or losses.

3. About the print

A powerful design from Kunisada's last great series, completed in the final year of his life and proudly signed with his age, seventy-nine. The loyal retainer Kanzaki Yogorō Noriyasu is shown in the striking black-and-white zigzag night-attack uniform of the forty-seven rōnin, sword raised above his head, his expression fixed with deadly resolve — one of the more dynamic action poses in the series. The biographical text panel at upper left recounts his service and stipend in the Akō domain. In Chūshingura lore, Kanzaki is remembered above all for his self-mastery: insulted by a drunken packhorse driver on the road to Edo, he swallowed the provocation and offered a written apology rather than draw his sword — refusing to jeopardize the coming vendetta for the sake of his own honour. He was also an accomplished comic poet. An impression of this design is held by the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

4. The Seichū Gishi Den Series: Loyalty, Theatre, and the Forty-Seven Rōnin

Kunisada's Seichū Gishi Den is one of the artist's most ambitious late-career series, depicting all forty-seven loyal retainers plus key associated figures as portrayed by the leading kabuki actors of the day. It is a masterful fusion of two of Edo Japan's great cultural obsessions — the Chūshingura vendetta legend and the kabuki theatre.

Each print pairs a historical warrior with a contemporary actor, giving us both a gallery of heroes and a snapshot of the Edo theatre world at its peak. With its consistent design, bold compositions, and rich biographical texts, the series is a collector's treasure — each sheet adds another chapter to Japan's most beloved tale of loyalty and sacrifice.