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The Actor Ichimura Uzaemon IX as the Ashigaru [Foot Soldier] Teraoka Heiemon
The Actor Ichimura Uzaemon IX as the Ashigaru [Foot Soldier] Teraoka Heiemon

The Actor Ichimura Uzaemon IX as the Ashigaru [Foot Soldier] Teraoka Heiemon

Artist/Maker (Japanese, 1735–1785)
Publisher
Date1763
MediumWoodblock print (benizuri-e); ink and limited color on paper
DimensionsVertical hosoban; overall: 11 13/16 × 5 3/8 in. (30 × 13.7 cm)
Credit LineMary A. Ainsworth Bequest
Object number1950.219
Status
Not on view
More Information
An actor strikes a dramatic pose, his hair wild and untied, as a dragon emerges from a temple bell behind him. The inscription identifies the figure as Teraoka Heiemon, a character in Chūshingura, or The Treasury of Loyal Retainers, the famous tale of the revenge of the forty-seven rōnin 浪人, or masterless samurai. Heiemon was the 47th rōnin. Because he was a low-ranking foot soldier, he was sent to report the success of their revenge back to their home domain. Due perhaps to his youth, he was the only member of the group who was not sentenced by the government to commit ritual suicide. There are many variations on his character and story in plays for kabuki and bunraku puppet theater.

This image refers to the play Hoshi ai kotoba Higashiyama no sakae, which was performed at the Ichimuraza theater during the ninth month of 1763.
Exhibition History
Summer Asia Institute Exhibition
  • Kresge Art Center, Michigan State University (June 24, 1959 - July 30, 1959 )
Quality and Technique in Prints
  • Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (October 4, 1996 - December 22, 1996 )
Ukiyo-e Prints from the Mary Ainsworth Collection
  • Chiba City Museum of Art, Chiba, Japan (April 13, 2019 - May 25, 2019 )
  • Shizuoka City Museum of Art, Shizuoka, Japan (June 8, 2019 - July 28, 2019 )
  • Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts, Osaka, Japan (August 10, 2019 - September 29, 2019 )
Ukiyo-e Prints from the Mary Ainsworth Collection
  • Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (January 14, 2020 - December 6, 2020 )
Collections
  • Asian
This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator. Noticed a mistake? Have some extra information about this object? Please contact us.