The actor Ichikawa Danjuro VII as Sagami Goro, from the series "Popular Actors as the 108 Heroes of the Water Margin (Ryuko yakusha Suikoden goketsu hyakuichinin no hitori)"

This oban color woodblock print of about 1828 by Utagawa Kunisada belongs to the series "Popular Actors as the 108 Heroes of the Water Margin (Ryuko yakusha Suikoden goketsu hyakuichinin no hitori)," depicting the actor Ichikawa Danjuro VII as the kabuki character Sagami Goro identified with one of the Chinese Suikoden (Water Margin) heroes. The print is held in the Art Institute of Chicago. The Suikoden, the Chinese vernacular novel known in English as The Water Margin or Outlaws of the Marsh, recounts the adventures of one hundred and eight bandit heroes who rebelled against a corrupt Song dynasty. The novel exploded in popularity in Edo Japan in the 1820s following Kyokutei Bakin's serial translation, and ukiyo-e designers including Kuniyoshi, Kunisada, and others produced large series of Suikoden hero prints. Kunisada's contribution, the "Ryuko yakusha Suikoden" series, is a particularly clever mitate that pairs each Chinese bandit with a contemporary kabuki actor and a parallel kabuki role, doubling the celebrity recognition value. Sagami Goro is a kabuki villain or warrior part associated with the Soga revenge cycle. The print uses Kunisada's mature 1820s composition and color, with Danjuro VII's heroic stance, weapon, and characteristically intense facial expression. The Art Institute of Chicago's example documents Kunisada's important early contribution to the Edo Suikoden craze, a movement that shaped a generation of ukiyo-e.