About This Print
This print pictures the character Ōboshi Yuranosuke from the play Kanadehon Chūshingura (TheTreasury of Loyal Retainers, a.k.a. The Forty Seven Ronin), based on the Akō Incident (1701-1703) in which forty-seven retainers of Lord Asano (the character Enya Hangan in the play) take revenge against the shogun's court official Kira Yoshinaka (the character Ko no Moronao in the play), whose actions caused the death of their master. The Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum of Waseda University identifies the actor playing the role of Ōboshi Yuranosuke as Bandō Hikosaburō V 坂東 彦三郎, although the actor's name does not appear on the print.The multi-colored cartouche gives the name of the series as Legends of the Loyal Retainers and the name of the character portrayed is given to the immediate left of this cartouche, in this case Ōboshi Yuranosuke 大星由良之亮. The background script may provide an account of Yuranosuke's role in the play or actual lines spoken by the character.
To read more about the representations of Chūshingura in woodblock prints see the article on this site Chūshingura (The Treasury of Loyal Retainers) in Woodblock Prints.
Ōboshi Yuranosuke and his real-life counterpart Ōishi Kuranosuke
The theatrical adaptation of the Akō Incident, Kanadehon Chūshingura or simply Chūshingura, combined historical characters from the Akō Incident, assigning them thinly disguised fictitious names, along with unrelated historical characters and fictional characters, mostly added to spice up the play with erotica.
Ōboshi Yuranosuke is the fictitious name in the play for the real-life Ōishi Kuranosuke, Lord Asano's head retainer and the head of the revenge plot to assassinate the senior bakufu protocol official, Kira Yoshinaka. It is Ōishi who took Kira's head and placed it before his master's grave at Sengakuji Temple.
Three Related Series
I have located twelve similar appearing prints (as shown below) that at first glance appear to be part of the same series. However, the series titles which appear in the prints' cartouches are not all the same. Nine of the prints bear the series title Legends of the Loyal Retainers [Gishi eimei den no uchi 義士英名伝(傳)之内], one print bears the series title Legends Related to the Loyal Retainers (Gishi gaiden no uchi 義士外伝之内) and two prints bear the series title Stories of Virtuous Women (Teijo eimeiden no uchi 貞女英名伝之内). The prints were not all published in the same year, with two published in 1863 and the remainder published in 1866. At least two of the prints appear to form a diptych, as shown below, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston has grouped three of the prints as a triptych, as also shown below. Scene names (shown beneath the figure portrayed) from the play Kanadehon Chūshingura are given on several of the prints and it is likely that the others also correspond to particular scenes in the play.  from the series titled Legends of the Loyal Retainers (Gishi eimei den no uchi 義士英名伝(傳)之内) published 1863 4th month IHL Cat. #630 The Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum Digital Archives Collection 100-1478 identifies the actor as 市村家橘 IV Ichimura Kakitsu IV |  from the series titled Legends of the Loyal Retainers (Gishi eimei den no uchi 義士英名伝(傳)之内) published 1863 4th month |  Legends of the Loyal Retainers [Gishi eimei den no uchi 義士英名伝(傳)之内] Published 1866 7th month The Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum Digital Archives Collection 100-1476 identifies the actor playing Wakanosuke as市村家橘 IVIchimura Kakitsu IV and in print 100-1477 the actor playing Honzo as 坂東 亀蔵 Bandō Kamezō Act 2. Wakasanosuke’s Mansion: The Pine-cutting Scene |
 矢頭与茂七教兼 from the series titled Legends of the Loyal Retainers [Gishi eimei den no uchi 義士英名伝(傳)之内] Published 1866 7th month The Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum Digital Archives Collection 100-1475 identifies the actor as 市村家橘 IV Ichimura Kakitsu IV |  Published 1866 7th month |  from the series titled Legends of the Loyal Retainers [Gishi eimei den no uchi 義士英名伝(傳)之内] Published 1866 7th month The Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum Digital Archives Collection 403-0005 identifies the actor as 河原崎 権十郎 Kawarazaki Gonjūrō Act 4: Hangan’s Suicide |  天川や義平 from the series titled Legends of the Loyal Retainers [Gishi eimei den no uchi 義士英名伝(傳)之内] Published 1866 7th month IHL Cat. #629 |
 おその 義平房女 from the series titled Stories of Virtuous Women (Teijo eimei den no uchi 貞女英名伝之内) Published 1866 7th month |  (Teijo eimei den no uchi 貞女英名伝之内) Published 1866 7th month IHL Cat. #960 |  from the series titled Legends of the Loyal Retainers [Gishi eimei den no uchi 義士英名伝(傳)之内] Published 1866 7th month |  大星由良之亮 from the series Legends of the Loyal Retainers [Gishi eimei den no uchi 義士英名伝(傳)之内] Published 1866 7th month IHL Cat. #630 The Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum Digital Archives Collection 403-0004 identifies the actor as 坂東 彦三郎 Bandō Hikosaburō V |
 Actors Ichimura Kakitsu IV as the Amakawaya Apprentice (Detchi) Igo, with Gihei's Son (Segare) Oshimtasu (R), Kawarazaki Gonjūrō I as Amakawaya Gihei (C), and Iwai Shijaku II as Gihei's Wife (Nyōbō) Osono (L), from a Chūshingura series. 1866 (Keiō 1), 7th month Utagawa Kunisada II (Toyokuni IV) Ai-To (Aito) Vertical ōban triptych Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Accession number: 2009.5125a-c The three prints form a triptych, but each is given a slightly different "series title," from right to left: Stories Related to the Loyal Retainers (Gishi gaiden no uchi), Stories of the Loyal Retainers (Gishi eimeiden no uchi), Stories of Virtuous Women (Teijo eimeiden no uchi). Other prints in the series have the title Stories of the Loyal Retainers (Gishi eimeiden no uchi), as on the center sheet, referring to the loyal retainers themselves as opposed to related characters. |
The Actual Events: The Akō Incident (1701-03)
The so-called Akō Incident began on April 21, 1701, when the lord of Akō, Asano Naganori, drew his sword in a corridor of Edo Castle and slashed the senior bakufu protocol official, Kira Yoshinaka, in retaliation for a perceived slight. While Kira suffered only a light wound, Asano was arrested and ordered to commit seppuku later the same day, largely for drawing his sword in the Castle. His estate was confiscated and dissolved leaving his retainers without jobs, or as ronin. Forty-seven of these ronin signed an oath to avenge their lord by killing Kira and twenty-one months later attacked his Edo mansion, took his head, and marched across the city to the temple of Sengakuji, where they place it before the grave of their master and surrendered. After almost two months of debate, the bakufu ordered the seppuku of the ronin and on March 20, 1703 they committed ritual suicide. Their ashes were interred at Sengakuji.Ōboshi Yuranosuke and his real-life counterpart Ōishi Kuranosuke
The theatrical adaptation of the Akō Incident, Kanadehon Chūshingura or simply Chūshingura, combined historical characters from the Akō Incident, assigning them thinly disguised fictitious names, along with unrelated historical characters and fictional characters, mostly added to spice up the play with erotica.Ōboshi Yuranosuke is the fictitious name in the play for the real-life Ōishi Kuranosuke, Lord Asano's head retainer and the head of the revenge plot to assassinate the senior bakufu protocol official, Kira Yoshinaka. It is Ōishi who took Kira's head and placed it before his master's grave at Sengakuji Temple.
Print Details
| IHL Catalog | #630 |
| Title/Description | Ōboshi Yuranosuke 大星由良之亮 |
| Series | Legends of the Loyal Retainers (Gishi eimei den no uchi 義士英名伝(傳)之内) |
| Artist | Utagawa Kunisada II (1823-1880) |
| Signature | Baichōrō Kunisada ga 梅蝶楼国貞画 |
| Seal | None |
| Publication Date |  |
| Publisher |  |
| Impression | excellent |
| Colors | excellent |
| Condition | good - numerous worm holes repaired from back |
| Genre | ukiyo-e; yakusha-e |
| Miscellaneous | |
| Format | Vertical Oban |
| H x W Paper | 14 3/8 x 9 5/8 in. (36.5 x 24.4 cm) |
| Collections This Print | The Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum of Waseda University 403-0004 |
| Reference Literature | |
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