The Actor Ichikawa Danjuro V as Momonoi Wakasanosuke Yasuchika (?) in the Play Kanadehon Chushingura (?), Performed at the Nakamura Theater (?) in the Fifth Month, 1771 (?)

This Katsukawa Shunsho yakusha-e tentatively identifies Ichikawa Danjuro V as Momonoi Wakasanosuke Yasuchika in a performance of 'Kanadehon Chushingura,' one of the most enduring plays in the Edo kabuki repertoire, with the production apparently staged at the Nakamura Theater in the fifth month of 1771. 'Kanadehon Chushingura' dramatizes the historical Forty-seven Ronin incident through a thinly veiled medieval setting, and Momonoi Wakasanosuke is one of the play's pivotal supporting samurai, whose hot temper precipitates the events that lead to the eventual vendetta. The cautious question marks attached to the title reflect the realities of attributing Edo ukiyo-e to specific performances even when, as here, the Katsukawa school's documentary intent is clear: rigorous reconstruction often depends on cross-referencing surviving prints with theater programs and diaries. Shunsho's design responds to the gravity of the role by treating Danjuro V as a contained figure of samurai authority, with costume and pose calibrated to the role's mix of duty and explosive feeling. The work is a strong example of the Katsukawa school's mature yakusha-e idiom and demonstrates how Shunsho's commitment to physiognomic likeness coexisted with restraint when the role demanded internal rather than external drama. The print is held by the Art Institute of Chicago and contributes to the cumulative visual record of 'Kanadehon Chushingura' as one of the most printed plays in Edo ukiyo-e history.