45 Ochiai Yoshiiku 1833 – 1904 Scene from the play Kanadehon Chushingura

This dramatic kabuki actor portrait bears no inscriptions, yet the family crests (mon) on the robes reveal the roles depicted. It represents a scene from the famous play Kanadehon Chushingura (“The Treasury of Loyal Retainers”), recounting the story of the forty-seven loyal samurai who avenged the cruel lord Ko no Moronao for the forced suicide of their master Enya Hangan, and who later, by order of the shogunate, committed collective ritual suicide at the Sengakuji temple. The true historical event took place in 1703 and became a lasting symbol of samurai honor and loyalty.

The print shows the moving farewell between father and son – Oboshi Yuranosuke, leader of the loyal retainers, and the young warrior Rikiya – before their act of vengeance that will claim both the enemy’s life and that of the son. The old samurai, dressed for revenge in the pale blue robe of his slain lord from Ako, decorated with two crossed falcon feathers, was most likely played by the celebrated Ichikawa Danjuro IX, while the actor portraying Rikiya remains uncertain, possibly Ichimura Uzaemon XIV.

The print belongs to a loosely conceived series of stage portraits in which Yoshiiku masterfully captured psychological tension and expressive acting. The emotional duality of father and son is highlighted by the pure light background and the striking red frame adorned with circular crests, contrasting with the subdued tones of the figures and intensifying the scene’s dramatic mood.