Chushingura: Act X of The Storehouse of Loyalty
1794
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
About the artist
1794
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Chushingura: Act X of The Storehouse of Loyalty is a 1794 by Kitagawa Utamaro, a Romanticism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This painting shows a dramatic scene from a Japanese story. It's a moment of bravery and loyalty. The hero's clever excuse to save the day is interesting - he claims the chest has the lady's personal items to avoid her humiliation. The scene is tense, with the hero standing firm. He's trying to protect his friends and the lady of the house. This kind of story was popular in Japan during the Edo period. Check out the work of artist Kitagawa Utamaro for more scenes like this.
Stage version: The hero Gohei bravely plants himself on a chest of armor and weapons to prevent government officials from discovering them before they are smuggled out of the house. He holds off the officials by claiming that the chest contains personal belongings of the lady of the house. Exposing these items would bring her humiliation and dishonor. See Chushingura: Perspective Picture for the "Treasure House of Loyalty" ( CMA 1985.338.10 ). Parody print: Utamaro converted this moment of lofty bravery into one of humor. A drunkard guards a cask of sake to prevent the maid from opening it.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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