This story is taken from actual events which were fairly recent history for Yoshitoshi.
Chikako was the daughter of Zeniya Gohei(1798-1855), a ship builder and entrepreneur in
northern Japan. During a famine, Gohei became something of a hero when he used his many
ships to transport rice to needy areas. At the same time he became very rich.He then
proposed to fill in a kake and turn it into rice fields, and borrowed a huge amount of
money for the project. The local fishermen violently opposed the scheme, the money ran out,
and Zeniya was thrown into jail.
Chikako prayed for her father's release. To demonstrate her sincerity she committed suicide
one snowy night by jumping into the Asano river. Her sacrifice was in vain-Zeniya died in
prison, and his son was beheaded.
The design is one of the best of the series. The composition
is tight, with an over-sized moon holding the components together. Horizontal lines of blue and
gray clouds draw the eye towards the moon and give it substance, while the lower portion is empty
except for the water, leaving nothing to support her.
Large size= 10,500 yen
Return to Yoshitoshi
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