Ando Hiroshige - *Price Reduced* Prologue - Wakasanosuke confronts Moronao - 1840's - Sold

I offer you a beautiful print by the world famous Ando Hiroshige.

This is a depiction of a theater scene in which Wakasanosuke confronts Moronao.

The Story (translated from Ukiyo-e.org):
To prevent subversive performances, the government banned the presentation of recent events. The Chishingura playwrights avoided censorship by adding a number of fictional subplots and setting them in the 14th century. They also created names for their characters, although people soon figured out which theatrical character each historical figure represented. The disgraced lord Asano became Enya Hangan, and his enemy Kira became Kono Moronao. This print shows a scene from the first act and depicts the confrontation between Moronao and Enya's colleague Momoi Wakasanosuke, rather than Enya himself—another twist on the factual story. Wakasanosuke, dressed in purple ceremonial garb, holds his sword hilt and can barely contain his anger. In black, Moronao waves his fan provocatively at him, as if to incite the young man's anger. The woman behind Wakasanosuke is Enya's wife, Kaoyo, who suffered from Moronao's unwanted romantic advances. Their behavior accurately reflects the tension between them, which ultimately results in the fatal event in act 3.