Description
Original woodblock print of the kuchi-e (口絵) type made in January 1900 by the artist Mizuno Toshikata (水野年方) and depicting the “withdrawal of the loyal retainers” (義士引揚), that is of the forty-seven ronin (四十七士), to Sengakuji (泉岳寺) temple, after their legendary assault on the residence of Kira Yoshinaka (吉良義央).
The work is taken from a special issue (増刊), entitled “The Story of the Loyal Retainers: Plum Blossoms in the Snow” (義士講談 雪の梅) vol. 6 n. 2, of Bungei Kurabu (文芸倶楽部), the famous literary magazine published from 1895 to 1933 by the Hakubunkan (博文館) publishing house.
The print on Japanese washi paper (和紙), despite the right signs of aging and a partial trimming of the margins, is in good general condition.
