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The elderly samurai in this print is Oribe Yahei Kanamaru, one of the famed 47 rōnin who avenged their lord after he was forced to commit seppuku (ritual suicide) in eighteenth-century Japan. The rōnin ultimately took their own lives as punishment. Kuniyoshi was inspired by a theater reenactment of this historic event and created a series of 51 prints depicting the individual warriors. Kanamaru, shown here at age 78, was said to have fought with remarkable bravery, wielding a spear, with two swords at his side. Here he carries his helmet and a banner emblazoned with his name and clan.Label Type
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Label written by Joey Kowal