Act One: Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine from the play Chushingura (Treasury of the Forty-seven Loyal Retainers) c. 1795

"Act One: Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine from the play Chushingura" (c. 1795) by Katsukawa Shun'ei (1762-1819) is a woodblock print depicting a scene from the popular Japanese play *Chushingura*, also known as *The Treasury of the Forty-seven Loyal Retainers*. This print, now part of the Art Institute of Chicago's collection, showcases Shun'ei's skill in capturing the dramatic tension of the play. The scene depicts the forty-seven *rōnin* (masterless samurai) preparing for their revenge against the corrupt lord who wronged their master. Their determined expressions and the intricate details of their costumes are rendered with great precision by Shun'ei. This work is a fascinating example of *ukiyo-e* (pictures of the floating world), a genre that flourished in Japan during the Edo period.