Ichikawa Monnosuke II as Soga no Gorō

Dated 1779 and held by the Cleveland Museum of Art, this Katsukawa Shunkō print depicts Ichikawa Monnosuke II as Soga no Gorō. Soga no Gorō (Soga Gorō Tokimune) is the younger of the two Soga brothers in the Soga monogatari, and his characterization in kabuki — youthful, impatient, hot-tempered, beautiful, and ferocious — made him one of the most iconic young-male hero roles in the entire repertoire. The Soga plays were performed annually in Edo in the first months of the year as a New Year tradition, and roles in Soga-mono were significant career markers for ambitious young actors. Ichikawa Monnosuke II was one of the leading aragoto specialists of the late eighteenth century, and his Soga no Gorō would have featured the role's signature thunder-pattern (rai-mon) costume and elaborate hair style. Shunkō's portrait captures the actor in a moment of poised tension, with the costume's bold pattern and the actor's expressive facial features rendered with the firm draftsmanship of his prime period. The 1779 date places this work at the heart of Shunkō's most productive years. The Cleveland Museum of Art's holdings preserve multiple Shunkō portraits of Monnosuke II, allowing the actor's role-range to be traced across the late An'ei and early Tenmei eras.