Act Five: Yamazaki Highway from the play Chushingura (Treasury of the Forty-seven Loyal Retainers) c. 1795

Katsukawa Shun'ei made this woodblock print, Act Five: Yamazaki Highway from the play Chushingura, which is now at the Art Institute of Chicago. The ukiyo-e printmaking process was collaborative and labor-intensive. Shun’ei would have designed the image, which was then carved into woodblocks by specialist artisans. Separate blocks were required for each color, and then printed in careful registration. Consider the flat planes of color, and the expressive linework. These were achieved through the precise cutting and printing process, showing nature in a stylized form. The heavy rain is represented by dark blue parallel lines, and the pine needles are suggested with a few strokes of color. Ukiyo-e prints were produced for a mass market, a reflection of the rise of urban culture in Japan. The original play, Chushingura, concerns a story about honor, revenge and sacrifice. Shun’ei has captured a key moment with expressive skill. The story and the print circulated widely, both enabled by the commercial system in which they were produced. Appreciating the material origins of the work, we recognize a fusion of artistry and industry.