Faithful Samurai at Morikami Museum |
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| Wednesday, 01 March 2006 19:05 |
 Delray Beach, FL- On a snowy night in December, 1703, 47 retainers of the disgraced lord Asano Naganori attacked the mansion of their lord’s enemy, Kira Yoshinaka, in a brazen act of vengeance that immediately caught the public's attention. The event struck a deep emotional chord in the heart of Japanese society, resulting in a steady stream of theatrical performances, books, and woodblock prints. Many of the prints depicting the major players in the drama were created by the renowned Utagawa Kuniyoshi, working well over a century later. This exhibition presents 57 of Kuniyoshi's print designs of the 1830s and ‘40s devoted to the dramatic incident, plus swords, costumes and other artifacts. The tale told by the prints is one of the most famous stories of revenge in Japanese history. It illustrates and defines the Japanese concept of loyalty, providing a supreme example of the samurai ideals of courage and fidelity. The exhibition tells its story through stunning triptychs, warrior prints and bust portraits designed by Kuniyoshi. In 1701, the feudal lord, Asano Naganori, was dishonored by Lord Kira, the shogun’s master of ceremonies. Despite his efforts at self-control, Asano drew his short sword while in the shogun’s palace and struck at Kira, wounding him, but not killing him. Since drawing one’s sword in the palace was forbidden, Asano was ordered to commit ritual suicide. His estate and castle were confiscated and all of his men were disbanded to become ronin (‘wave men’, that is, samurai without masters).
The print designer Utagawa Kuniyoshi made a specialty of portraying Japanese history and legend. In all, he produced more than 1,600 single-sheet prints and 360 triptychs. Throughout his 45-year career, Chushingura -- as the story of the 47 ronin is called in Japanese -- (literally translated, it means ‘Treasury of Loyal Hearts’), held Kuniyoshi’s attention with great passion and intensity. He produced 12 series and 20 triptychs devoted to it. The exhibition will be displayed through March 19. The Morikami is the first venue on a national tour of The Faithful Samurai. Due to the sheer volume of images inspired by the story, many museums and private collectors own prints depicting it. This is the first time that a comprehensive exhibition of such images has been organized. Visit www.morikami.orgClick on logo below to add this article to your favorite Social Website ~ |
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