The Actor Matsumoto Koshiro II as Osada no Taro Kagemune Disguised as the Woodcutter Gankutsu no Gorozo in the Play Nue no Mori Ichiyo no Mato, Performed at the Nakamura Theater in the Eleventh Month, 1770

Katsukawa Shunsho's yakusha-e portrays Matsumoto Koshiro II as Osada no Taro Kagemune in a celebrated disguise role, appearing as the woodcutter Gankutsu no Gorozo in 'Nue no Mori Ichiyo no Mato' at the Nakamura Theater in the eleventh month of 1770. The print captures one of kabuki's favorite plot devices, the yatsushi or noble-in-disguise, in which a high-ranking warrior takes the appearance of a humble worker, allowing actors to display range across registers in a single role. Shunsho responds with a portrait that emphasizes Koshiro II's facial structure and the deliberate weight of the woodcutter's body, while costume detailing, including the simple jacket and tool-bearing accessories of Gankutsu no Gorozo, signals the disguise. As one of the central designers of the Katsukawa school in this period, Shunsho was decisive in establishing the convention that an Edo ukiyo-e yakusha-e print should be readable both as a likeness of a specific actor and as the documentation of a particular role in a particular play. The eleventh-month kaomise programs at the Nakamura Theater were the most heavily promoted events of the Edo theatrical year, and Shunsho's prints would have served as collectible mementos for fans of Koshiro II and as advertising material for future runs. Held in the Art Institute of Chicago's collection, the impression remains a primary document for both the actor's mid-career repertoire and for the maturing visual language of Katsukawa school yakusha-e.