Rikiya to assassinate Honzo
Katsukawa Shunsen, Japanese, about 1762 - 1830
after 1806
Color woodblock print on Japanese paper
Set of 11
Overall: 9 3/16 × 13 5/8 in. (23.3 × 34.6 cm)
Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth: Gift of Claire E. and Dr. Frederick R. Mebel, Class of 1935
PR.975.26
Portfolio / Series Title
Number 9 from The Loyal League of Forty-seven Ronin (Uki-E Chushingura)
Geography
Place Made: Japan, East Asia, Asia
Period
19th century
Object Name
Research Area
Not on view
Label
Act 9: The Repentance of Honzo: When Konami arrives at the house of Rikiya, a heated argument breaks out between her mother, Tonase, and Rikiya’s mother, Oishi, concerning Tonase’s husband, Honz. Honz was present when Moronao was humiliating Lord En’ya and forcibly restrained En’ya when he attempted to kill Moronao. Oishi refuses to allow Rikiya to marry Konami, the daughter of the man who prevented En’ya from defending his honor. Honz arrives at the same time as Rikiya, just as Tonase and Oishi are about to come to blows. Both men take sides along family lines, and Rikiya easily kills Honz . It seems, however, that Honz, a battle-hardened samurai who could have easily overpowered the young and inexperienced Rikiya, intended to die all along. His willingness to die by Rikiya’s hand was an acknowledgment of his complicity in the fate that befell En’ya and his retainers. Honz atones for his actions by handing to Rikiya the one thing needed for the vendetta to succeed—a map of Moronao’s estate. The scene in the background shows Yuranosuke and Rikiya examining the map Honz provided.
From the 2019 exhibition Narratives in Japanese Woodblock Prints, guest curated by Allen Hockley, Associate Professor of Art History at Dartmouth
Course History
ARTH 62.3, Japanese Prints, Allen Hockley, Winter 2019
ARTH 62.30/ASCL 62.12, Japanese Prints, Allen Hockley, Spring 2022
Art History 62.30, Asian Societies, Cultures, and Languages 62.12, Japanese Prints, Allen Hockley, Spring 2023
Art History 62.30, Asian Societies, Cultures, and Languages 62.12, Japanese Prints, Allen Hockley, Summer 2023
Exhibition History
Narratives in Japanese Woodblock Prints, Class of 1967 Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, March 27-June 9, 2019.
Palmer Lounge Cases, Hopkins Center Art Galleries, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, October 1975.
Provenance
Dr. Frederick Ronald Mebel (1913-1998) and Claire E. Mebel (1916-1994); Rockville Center, New York; given to present collection, 1975.
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