Sadakuro murdering Yochibei
Katsukawa Shunsen, Japanese, about 1762 - 1830
after 1806
Color woodblock print on Japanese paper
Set of 11
Overall: 9 3/8 × 13 in. (23.8 × 33 cm)
Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth: Gift of Claire E. and Dr. Frederick R. Mebel, Class of 1935
PR.975.22
Portfolio / Series Title
Number 5 from The Loyal League of Forty-seven Ronin (Uki-E Chushingura)
Geography
Place Made: Japan, East Asia, Asia
Period
19th century
Object Name
Research Area
Not on view
Label
Act 5: The Night Adventure of Kampie: Distraught over his lapse in duty, Kampei goes with Okaru to the small mountain village where Okaru’s parents live. Kampei hunts wild boar to help support the family. He appears in the background of this print, meeting with Senzaki, a fellow former retainer of En’ya who informs Kampei that he is gathering funds for a memorial to their daimyo. Although he is poor, Kampei pledges to contribute to the fund to redeem his honor. In the foreground, Okaru’s father is being assailed by Sadakur, a local bandit who robs helpless travelers. When Sadakur discovers that his prey has a pouch of gold coins, Okaru’s father pleads for his life, explaining that his daughter agreed to sell herself to a teahouse to help Kampei raise funds to redeem his honor. Sadakur murders Okaru’s father, but as he makes off with the coins, a wild boar crosses his path, a gunshot rings out, and the bullet strikes Sadakur dead. Kampei comes upon the scene and realizes that he has inadvertently killed someone. Though he is remorseful, he nevertheless takes the pouch of coins in order to fulfill his pledge of support for Lord En’ya’s memorial.
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
Japanese Color Woodblock Prints, Harrington Gallery Teaching Exhibition, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, December 30, 1992-February 7, 1993.
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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