Kawanabe Kyosui (1868-1935) Scene from The Storehouse of Loyal RetainersMeiji era (1868-1912), late 19th/early 20th century
Kakejiku (hanging scroll), ink and colours on silk in silk mounts, depicting a scene from Act I of Chushingura (The Storehouse of Loyal Retainers, see below); signed Kyosui ga (Painted by Kyosui) and sealed. Overall: 181.5cm x 54.6cm (71½in x 21½in); image: 130cm × 45.6cm (51¼in × 18in).注脚Kawanabe Kyosui, daughter of Kawanabe Kyosai (see lot 160), excelled in history painting and played a pioneering role in carving out a space for female artists in early twentieth-century Japan. The present lot shows Lady Kaono, wife of Lord Asano En'ya, at a meeting convened by the shogun Ashikaga Takauji's brother Tadayoshi in order to identify the helmet of Nitta Yoshisada, whose revolt against the shogun has just been crushed with the loss of 47 lives. Faced with a pile of 47 helmets, Lady Kaono correctly picks out Nitta's, which Takauji plans to install in a shrine dedicated to the war god Hachiman in commemoration of his victory. Also present at the meeting are Kira Moronao (the villain of the tale), Wakasanosuke and her husband Lord Asano.