The Actors Nakamura Takesaburō as Kewaizaka no Shōshō and IchikawaDanjurō II as Soga Gorō

Dated to 1715, this o-[oban](/glossary/oban) yoko-e (horizontal large format) sumizuri-e depicts the actors Nakamura Takesaburo as Kewaizaka no Shosho and Ichikawa Danjuro II as Soga Goro in performance together. The subject draws on the Soga brothers' revenge cycle, one of the most enduringly popular dramatic traditions in Edo kabuki, with Soga Goro the more impetuous of the two brothers and Kewaizaka no Shosho the courtesan lover featured in the narrative. Ichikawa Danjuro II was the leading male performer of the period, the second generation of the celebrated Ichikawa Danjuro lineage, and Kiyomasu I's print places him in iconic confrontation with his onnagata partner. Executed in pure black ink, the print derives its power from heavy outlines and the spatial drama of the horizontal format. The Art Institute of Chicago holds this work.