Stories of the Faithful Samurai of the Red Castle

(Sekijô gishi den, 赤城義士傳)

Publisher: Ebi-ya Rinnosuke

c. 1848

In 1702, Lord Asano of Akô was provoked by Kira Kozukenosuke Yoshinaka into drawing his sword in the shogun’s palace, for which he was forced to take his own life, and his estate was confiscated. Forty-seven of Lord Asano’s retainers, who were now rônin (samurai without masters), planned and carried out a successful attack on Kira’s palace. Kira’s head was cut off with the same dagger Lord Asano used to commit seppuku. (The term “hara-kiri”, although more common in English than “seppuku”, is considered in Japan to be a vulgar and disrespectful description of an honorable act.). The 46 surviving rônin were forced to take their own lives. These events were made into the play, Kanadehon Chûshingura. This series of prints portrays some of the 47 rônin. The prints are each about 14 by 10 inches (36 by 25 centimeters), a size known as ôban.

	Title: Killing of the Spy Uyesumi (Uesumi kanja utsuzu, 上住間者討圗) Description: Teraoka Heiyemon Nobuyuki making a sword-stroke which has disarmed his unseen opponent and sent his hat flying Robinson: S58.1
	Title: Spying out the Enemy’s Mansion under the Guise of a Tradesman (Tei wo shizu, 商賈成敵邸伺圗) Description: Senzaki Yagorô Noriyasu displaying fan-paintings from a number of lacquer boxes Robinson: S58.2
	Title: The Revenge-killing at the Takata Racetrack (Takata no baba adautsu no zu, 高田馬場仇討之圗) Description: Oribe Yasubei Taketsune tying up his sleeves in preparation for his revenge fight Robinson: S58.3
No image available	Title: Yoshikane Displays his Courage in the Temple Description: Ôboshi Rikiya Yoshikane (大星力弥良金) about to perform seppuku in the Kwagakuji Temple Robinson: S58.4
	Title: Description: Yata Jiroemon Sukeake (矢多呉郎右衛門助武) leaning back, holding a gun, having just shot a fox Robinson: Not listed NOTE: This print is almost identical to S59.7 in the series Mirror of the Faithful Samurai and Loyal Retainers. I am grateful to Ward Pieters for locating this image.
	Title: Description: Sumino Chûheiji Tsugifusa (角野忠平次 次房) on one knee reading a long letter by lamplight Robinson: Not listed NOTE: This print is almost identical to S95.5 in the series Mirror of the Faithful Samurai and Loyal Retainers.

“Robinson” refers to listing in Kuniyoshi: The Warrior-Prints by Basil William Robinson (Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, 1982) and its privately published supplement.

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