Celebrate the warrior spirit through Yoshitora’s 47 Ronin. Told and retold as a classic story of loyalty and revenge, the story of the loyal retainers comes to life in Yoshitora’s woodblock prints. With arrows drawn back and swords raised overhead, each warrior appears in the heat of battle, embodying honor and courage. This exhibition includes a selection of individual designs as well as a complete set of the series. All individual works are priced under $500.

The Tale of the 47 Ronin goes as follows: While in the service of the shogun, Kira Yoshinaka, a powerful government official, offends the young provincial lord Asano Naganori. Asano draws his sword, striking Kira. Though Kira’s injury is minor, Asano’s acts–both drawing a sword in the shogun’s palace and striking a member of the government–are fatal crimes. Asano is sentenced to seppuku (self-disembowelment). His principal retainer and 46 of his other now masterless retainers, or ronin, vow to avenge this injustice. After more than a year of careful planning, these ronin stage a night attack on Kira’s mansion. Victorious, they march through Edo and present Kira’s head to their avenged master’s grave. With their loyal quest at an end, they turn themselves in. They are sentenced to seppuku, yet their act of revenge so embodies the samurai code of bushido–loyalty and honor–that the ronin are enshrined at Sengaku-ji Temple beside their beloved master.