Actor Ichikawa Komazô II as Sukeroku

Katsukawa Shunei portrays Ichikawa Komazo II as Sukeroku, the dandyish otokodate hero of the Edo kabuki classic Sukeroku Yukari no Edo Zakura, set in the Yoshiwara pleasure quarter. Sukeroku, with his violet headband, paper umbrella, and swaggering wit, was one of the most recognizable roles in the entire repertory and a vehicle particularly associated with the Ichikawa line, of which Komazo II was a senior member. Shunei renders him in characteristic Sukeroku attire, the violet headband cinching the high crown of his haircut and the long pipe held with the casual flair the role demanded, the face given the precise individualized likeness for which the Katsukawa school's contribution to Edo yakusha-e had become indispensable. As Katsukawa Shunsho's principal pupil, Shunei made a sustained study of the Ichikawa line's signature roles, of which Sukeroku was among the most important. Prints of this kind sold rapidly during runs of the play and were avidly collected by the chonin merchant audience whose values Sukeroku flatteringly mirrored on stage. The print encapsulates the Katsukawa school's mission to fuse individualized actor portraiture with the iconography of celebrated kabuki actor roles. This impression is held by the Art Institute of Chicago, which possesses an extensive sequence of Katsukawa-school Sukeroku prints documenting the role's interpretation across successive generations of Ichikawa actors.