Artist Utagawa Kunisada I (Japanese, 1786–1864 (or 1865?))
Title Okaru of Ichiriki from the play "Kanadehon Chûshingura" (Ichiriki no Okaru, 一力のおかる)
Date 1852
Medium Color woodblock print on paper
Dimensions Overall: 14 1/2 x 10 1/8 in. (36.8 x 25.7 cm)
Credit Line Gift of Dr. J. Frederick Beineke, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University
Accession Number 69.122.20
About this Work
“The Treasury of Loyal Retainers” (Kanadehon Chûshingura, 仮名手本忠臣蔵), is the most famous play of revenge in the Kabuki repertoire. Based on a historical vendetta and originally written in 1748 for the puppet theater, the story involves Lord En'ya Hangan, who is goaded into drawing his sword against a senior lord in the Shogun’s palace. He is forced to forfeit his lands and commit ritual suicide, leaving his retainers, now masterless samurai (rōnin, 浪人), to seek vengeance for his death.
The woman in this print is Okaru, the lady-in-waiting to Hangan’s widow, Kaoyo. Okaru agrees to be sold as a geisha to help raise funds for the vendetta. She is standing in front of Ichiriki, the most famous teahouse in the Gion district of Kyoto.
Hangan's chief retainer, Yuranosuke, is a guest at Ichiriki, pretending to enjoy life while secretly plotting revenge. When he thinks he is alone, he unrolls a message from Kaoyo. His rival’s spy glimpses it from his hiding place under the veranda, and simultaneously, Okaru sees it reflected in a mirror. Yuranosuke decides that he must kill Okaru to keep his plot secret, but her brother offers his life in exchange. Recognizing their loyalty, Yuranosuke spares Okaru’s life, allows her brother to join the vendetta, and together with Okaru, kills the spy.
