Chushingura Act III
Kitagawa Utamaro Japanese
Not on view
Utamaro uses the "E-kyodai" format here also to combine two scenes to humorous effect. Although both scenes in this work depict physical conflicts, they are conflicts of a radically different character. The upper cartouche contains a scene from "Chushingura," one of the most popular Kabuki plays, in which one feudal lord attacks another with a sword within the confines of Edo Castle, a grave breach of decorum that will lead to dire consequences. The conflict in the larger image, however, is merely a domestic love quarrel in which a man attempts to hit his nagging wife with a piece of kitchen equipment. In the spirit of jocular parody, Utamaro likens this petty household turmoil to the great tragic political drama "Chushingura."
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