959 - Woodblock print by Utagawa Kunisada, Oban series ''Seichu oboshi ichidai banashi''

Woodblock print by Utagawa Kunisada, Oban series ''Seichu oboshi ichidai banashi'' Japan, Edo period, 1851-1853. Woodblock print on washi (Japanese paper). Dimensions: 24,5 × 36 cm. The sheet is loose. Title: Seichu Oboshi ichidai banashi. Signature: lower right Oju Toyokuni ga. Publisher: Miyakozawa Censorship: Mera and Murata. Condition: Browned; traces of usage due to its age; small marginal defects; some wormholes at upper left and upper right, partly restored. From the series ''Seichu oboshi ichidai banashi'' (Life story of the faithful Oboshi), the 28th sheet of the series with about 35 sheets. The actor Bando Hikosaburo as Oboshi Yuranosuke beats the attack signal on a drum in front of the main gate of the Moronao residence. Scene of the 11th and final act of Chushingura and the best sheet of the series. Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1865) was a pupil of Utagawa Toyokuni. He is the most prolific artist in Japanese art and created more than 40,000 works, including prints, books and paintings. He devoted himself to all genres, but was particularly distinguished by his prints of kabuki theater, in which he revealed an extraordinary inventiveness.