寺坂吉右衛門 - 47浪人 - 日本木版画 - 浮世絵 - Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1865) - 日本 - 江戶時代晚期

Artist: Utagawa Kunisada / Toyokuni III (歌川国貞 / 三代豊国, 1786–1865)
Title: Terasaka Kichiemon Nobuyuki (寺坂吉右エ門信行), Warrior of Akō, played by the actor Ichikawa Kodanji IV (市川小団次)
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: Kodanji glares over his shoulder, teeth bared, gripping a long lance diagonally across the full height of the sheet, his black-and-white dantera raiding jacket offset by richly patterned under-robes in teal and purple.

2. Paper:

Minor trimming, minor insect damage and minor repair on the left margin. Overall very good.

3. Terasaka Kichiemon Nobuyuki — The Forty-Seventh Man

Terasaka Kichiemon Nobuyuki (1665–1747) holds a unique place in the Chūshingura legend. The biographical cartouche identifies him as an ashigaru squad leader (足軽小頭) with a stipend of just five ryō in gold and rations for two (金五両二人扶持) — the lowest-ranking man of the entire league, the only foot soldier among samurai. Yet he took part in the night attack on Kira's mansion, and it is what happened next that made him famous: alone of the forty-seven, Terasaka did not surrender with his comrades. By the account most favourable to him, Ōishi Kuranosuke dispatched him immediately after the raid as a messenger to carry news of the vendetta's success back to the Akō domain and to Lord Asano's widow. He was never sentenced, lived on for more than four decades as the league's sole survivor and living witness, and died in 1747 at the age of eighty-two. His ambiguous status — deserter to some, faithful messenger to most — has kept his name debated for three centuries, and makes his sheet one of the most storied of the series.

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.