Ippitsusai Bunchō. Ichikawa Monnosuke II as Konami in Kanadehon Chūshingura / Hosoban, 1771.

Artist: Ippitsusai Bunchō [一筆斎文調] (Japanese, 1725–1794)

Signed: 一筆斎文調画 (Painted by Ippitusai)

Media: Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and colour on paper, gauffrage, vertical hosoban, 321 × 150 mm

Actor: Ichikawa Monnosuke II [市川門之助] (Japanese, 1743–1794); other names: Ichikawa Benzō I, Takinaka Hidematsu II, Takinaka Tsuruzō; Poetry names: Shinsha, Kaigan, Ryūsha

Role: Konami (小浪)

Play: Kanadehon Chūshingura (仮名手本忠臣蔵)

Theater: Nakamura-za, Edo, 4th month of Meiwa 8 (1771)

Catalogue raisonné: Vever (1976), vol. 1, Pl. 242, p. 227. [LIB-2974.2022]

Full-length portrait of the actor Ichikawa Monnosuke II (市川門之助, 1743/56–1794), facing left with his head turned three-quarters to the right, standing in the snow on a veranda. He is dressed as Konami (小浪), a central female character in Chūshingura (忠臣蔵), known for her tragic dignity and filial loyalty. In the play’s pivotal ninth act, Konami, accompanied by her mother Tonase, seeks to restore her family’s honor and reunite with her fiancé, Rikiya, after her father Honzō's perceived betrayal. Her role exemplifies quiet emotional strength and perseverance, and was a key onnagata part in the kabuki repertoire.

The actor wears layered winter robes, with the Ichikawa family crest (一 within a circle) clearly visible on his right shoulder. His obi is decorated with cranes in flight among stylized clouds. Snow has accumulated on the bamboo leaves, eaves, and wooden fence behind him, with long icicles hanging down. The print includes fine embossing (karazuri 空摺) on the white outer robe, featuring a diamond pattern. The orange color of the fence shows traces of oxidation, a deliberate effect commonly used in ukiyo-e to simulate aged pigment.

Ichikawa Monnosuke II was active from 11/1770 to 10/1794 and portrayed a wide range of roles. He was depicted by many notable artists of the Katsukawa school, including Bunchō, Shunkō, Shunshō, and Shun'ei. This print is an early example of full-length actor portraiture in hosoban format.

A collector's mark on the back reads "wS" in an oval, in red ink.