Ichikawa Monnosuke II as Soga no Gorō

1779

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Dominant colour

Ichikawa Monnosuke II as Soga no Gorō is a 1779 by Katsukawa Shunkō, a Romanticism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Katsukawa Shunkō
When & what style?: 1779 · Romanticism
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

This painting shows Ichikawa Monnosuke II as Soga no Gorō. The scene is set near Mount Fuji, which appears in the background. The story is from a legend about two brothers who avenge their father's murder. This story is often told in Kabuki plays, and the print is likely from a diptych. The Cleveland Museum of Art has this print, and to learn more about similar works, look up the museum: The Cleveland Museum of Art.

The story of this work

Overview

Some Kabuki plays centered on the legend of the Soga brothers, Gorō and Jurō, who avenge their father’s murder before coming to their own demise. The setting is near Mount Fuji, part of which appears in the background. The print is likely from a diptych (a composition of two prints). The other print would have shown the rest of the mountain and Gorō’s retainer (a person retained by another to act in a military capacity), Asahina Saburō, tugging at the same pine bough as Gorō—a twist on scenes in which Saburō pulled Gorō’s armor to try to prevent him from protecting his brother.

Read the full account in the museum source.