Artist: Utagawa Kunisada [歌川 国貞], a.k.a. Utagawa Toyokuni III [三代 歌川 豊国] (Japanese, 1786 – 1865).
Signed: Gototei Kunisada ga (五渡亭國貞画)
Date and Censor Seal: 1830 / Aratame seal (改) plus (tora, 寅) = Year of the Tiger, Bunsei 13 (文政十三年)
Publisher: Ibaya Senzaburō [伊場屋仙三郎] (Japanese, fl. c. 1815 – 1869); seal: san (三) in a circle. Additional publisher red stamp in the form of a double gourd.
Media: Aiban yoko-e uchiwa-e (団扇絵), color woodblock print, 228 x 266 mm.
Actor: Bandō Minosuke II [坂東蓑助] (Japanese, 1802 – 1863); other names: Morita Kan’ya XI, Bandô Mitsugorō IV.
Role: Momonoi Wakasanosuke (桃の井わかさ之助)
Play: Kanadehon Chūshingura, performed at Ichimura-za in the 4th lunar month of 1830
This uchiwa-e (団扇絵, fan print) by Utagawa Kunisada (歌川国貞), also known as Toyokuni III (三代歌川豊国), depicts the actor Bandō Minosuke II (坂東蓑助) in the role of Momonoi Wakasanosuke (桃の井若狭之助) from Kanadehon Chūshingura (仮名手本忠臣蔵), performed at Ichimura-za in the fourth lunar month of 1830 (Bunsei 13, Year of the Tiger, 文政十三年寅).
The actor is shown in a half-length portrait, three-quarter view, facing right, with his hand lifting the hilt of his sword (刀, katana), signalling a moment of restrained fury. His narrowed eyes and pursed lips suggest inner turmoil, reflecting Wakasanosuke’s frustration with Kō no Moronao in Act 1 of the play.
He wears a black kimono richly decorated with chrysanthemums (菊, kiku) over a lattice motif. On his sleeve, a heraldic crest (家紋, kamon) features a standing mulberry leaf (梶の葉, kaji no ha) enclosed in an octagon, the emblem of Tsuruoka Hachiman Shrine in Kamakura, where his historical counterpart, Wakisaka Yasumasa, had his residence. Beneath the black outer garment, he wears a red under-kimono with floral designs and a blue collar. In his right hand, he grips the hilt of his sword, adorned with gold menuki.
A red cartouche framed with golden mulberry leaves in the upper left contains the inscription “忠臣蔵之内 桃の井若狭之助” (“From Chūshingura: Momonoi Wakasanosuke”).
