1794
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Chushingura: Act VI (from the series Perspective Pictures for The Treasure House of Loyalty) is a 1794 by Kitao Masayoshi, a Romanticism work, depicting Pavilion, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This print shows a samurai kneeling indoors, sword placed before him. A single lantern lights his face from below. Shadows stretch long across the tatami mats. The scene comes from a famous story of forty-seven loyal retainers who avenged their lord’s death in 1702. They waited years, then struck at night. Masayoshi belonged to the ukiyo-e school known for bold lines and dramatic contrasts. If you like this dramatic lighting, look up chiaroscuro.
Kitao Masayoshi (1764–1824) was a Japanese artist, born in Edo.
See the richer artist page
