Yasuda Raishū
Late Edo period (19th century)
Tangible Cultural Property, designated by Sakata city
Donated by the Homma family
This painting portrays a scene from the retelling of the “Chūshingura” tale, in which the famed “47 Ronin” have completed their raid on the Kira clan mansion, and have now avenged their fallen lord. It is highly regarded, and is one of the few works painted by hand by Yasuda Raishū, rather than being a woodblock print.
Ōishi Kuranosuke cradles the head of the slain official Kira Yoshinaka, with another of the ronin using a flame to illuminate the head, confirming it is indeed that of their target. The portrayal is dramatic, with aspects taken from Western-style shading and copperplate engraving, with the atmosphere only being added to by the uncanny light of the large moon in the background.
This painting has been confirmed as having been created using the layout of a painting of the Nativity (the image featuring the birth of Christ) from the book of Luke in the New Testament. This is a wooden image with the Bodhisattva Kannon, with a jeweled diadem on her brow and a faint smile floating upon her face. While thought of as a work of the Edo period, the exact details of this piece are unknown.