Depictions of Chūshingura Begin with “the Attack” on Moronao.
　At present only two images have been identified as depicting the Akō Incident that predate the premier of Kanadehon chūshingura in 1748.
　The first is the Shinpan Shida Kaikei youchi (Ritsumeikan University Art Research Center, arcSP02-0051) drawn in the style of the Torii School. This print is an actor mitate-e which uses the guise of the “Shida” revenge and is thought to be from around 1711. The image itself calls to mind the Akō Incident through the depiction of the breaking down of the gate, the battle within the grounds of the residence, and the depiction of the charcoal shed.
　The second is the Gishi uchiiri zu, an ema that was offered at the Chionji Temple in Miyazu City, Kyoto in 1715 and which directly depicts the attack of the Akō Incident.
　Although the examples are few and the incident had not yet been turned into a drama of the loyal retainers that would lend itself to pictorialization, from these examples we can see that the Akō Incident had already become identified with the attack and images of the incident began by depicting this.