Honzo cutting off a branch of the pine tree at Lord Moronao's castle. "So let the enemies of my lord perish by his hand.", number 2 from the series The Loyal League of Forty-seven Ronin (Uki-E Chushingura)
Katsukawa Shunsen, Japanese, about 1762 - 1830
after 1806
Color woodblock print on paper
Set of 11
Overall: 9 7/16 × 12 15/16 in. (24 × 32.9 cm)
Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth: Gift of Claire E. and Dr. Frederick R. Mebel, Class of 1935
PR.975.19
Geography
Place Made: Japan, East Asia, Asia
Period
19th century
Object Name
Research Area
Not on view
Label
Act 2: The Anger of Wakanosuke: Act 2 takes place at Date Wakanosuke’s estate. Outraged by Moronao’s attempt to seduce Lady Kaoyo, Wakanosuke vows to kill him. Wakanosuke’s senior retainer Honz, whose primary duty is to protect his young lord, fears that Wakanosuke will do something rash. Using the pretense of a lesson in swordsmanship, Honz cuts through the limb of a pine tree with Wakanosuke’s sword, knowing that pitch from the pine branch left on the blade will make it impossible for his lord to draw the sword from its scabbard. One of the play’s two romances is introduced in the background scene: Honz ’s daughter Konami meets her fiancé, Rikiya, who happens to be the son of Yuranosuke, the eventual leader of the 47 loyal retainers.
From the 2019 exhibition Narratives in Japanese Woodblock Prints, guest curated by Allen Hockley, Associate Professor of Art History at Dartmouth
Course History
ARTH 62.3, Japanese Prints, Allen Hockley, Winter 2019
ARTH 62.30/ASCL 62.12, Japanese Prints, Allen Hockley, Spring 2022
Art History 62.30, Asian Societies, Cultures, and Languages 62.12, Japanese Prints, Allen Hockley, Spring 2023
Art History 62.30, Asian Societies, Cultures, and Languages 62.12, Japanese Prints, Allen Hockley, Summer 2023
Exhibition History
Narratives in Japanese Woodblock Prints, Class of 1967 Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, March 27-June 9, 2019.
Palmer Lounge Cases, Hopkins Center Art Galleries, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, October 1975.
Provenance
Dr. Frederick Ronald Mebel (1913-1998) and Claire E. Mebel (1916-1994); Rockville Center, New York; given to present collection, 1975.
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