NHK's educational program "Ukiyo-e EDO-LIFE" features ukiyo-e prints linked to the story every week, to help viewers enjoy the station's historical drama "UNBOUND (Berabou)" (General TV, Sundays at 8pm and other times) even more deeply. On December 5th, "The World of UNBOUND: Revenge!? Utamaro's Big Cleaning" will be broadcast on BS Premium 4K from 6pm and on NHK Educational TV from 11:50pm.
This time we will be introducing Kitagawa Utamaro's "Sweeping Soot," painted around 1798. It is an unexpected piece with the theme of "revenge," depicting the annual end-of-year cleaning. It is actually a parody of a famous story of revenge.
The story of "revenge" is a drama that gets everyone excited. In the Edo period, cleaning the house at the end of the year was a customary event that involved the whole family. After cleaning, everyone would make a big fuss and do "something." What was this unusual custom? By further interpreting the painting, the hidden theme of the painting becomes clear.
It is a parody of the raid scene from "Chushingura," a famous story of revenge in Kabuki and other media. It's a piece that Utamaro used to make a witty remark...
