Tsukioka YoshitoshiJapanese, 1839–1892Danshichi Kurobei
Can I see it?
Not on view at present
Where is “Danshichi Kurobei” now? Collection: Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis. Not on view at present. Checked September 29, 2026.
Minneapolis, United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the work
Danshichi Kurobei had been imprisoned for injuring a man who then died, although from a different cause. He was released with the help of Lord Tamashima but exiled from his hometown. Later, Kurobei’s cruel and greedy father-in-law, Mikawaya Giheiji, kidnapped the mistress of Lord Tamashima’s son and demanded a ransom for her release, but Kurobei managed to intervene and free her. Giheiji was outraged since he had supported Kurobei’s wife and child while the younger man was in prison and now demanded payment. When Kurobei was unable to make good on his debt, Giheiji began beating him with his sandal. A fight broke out, and eventually Kurobei lost his temper. He stripped off his clothes down to his red loincloth and killed Giheiji, in the mud, while begging for forgiveness for what he was doing.
Read on
The struggle between the two men became perhaps the most dramatic murder scene in Kabuki theater and a popular motif in prints. Yoshitoshi captured it in its full cruelty, with Kurobei’s arms and sword drenched in blood while the dying Giheiji is barely visible in the mud.
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Details
- Accession number
- 2017.106.76
In the catalog
Sources
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
- Image: Minneapolis Institute of Art — public domain
