The Actor Ichikawa Ebizo II as Imperial Guard Watanabe Kiso in the four-act play Onna moji Heike monogatari

Ichikawa Ebizō II lived from 1688 until 1758. Son of the first Ichikawa Danjūrō, he took the stage name Ebizō in 1735. His role here is identified as Watanabe Kisō in the play Onna moji Heike monogatari. Performed at Nakamura Theater as the opening performance of the season (kaomise) in the eleventh month of 1748, the play celebrated the arrival in Edo of Nakamura Kumetarō I, a star of the Kyoto stage. Ebizō is dressed for the spectacular shibaraku scene, a specialty of the Danjūrō line. His distinctive red robe conceals a warrior’s armor, and swords cross the hero’s body beneath voluminous sleeves emblazoned with the mimasu crest of nested measuring boxes. Crossed eyes, a snarling expression, and dramatic makeup help to complete the mie, a pose frozen at a moment of high emotional intensity.

The condition of this print reflects a complicated history. Trimmed at the top and sides, it shows a rectangular patch at lower right where a signature might have been removed. The Riese Collection includes a later version with printed colors (benizuri-e) signed by Torii Kiyoshige (at the lower right), but lacking the name of the play and the role seen here. Rose Hempel conjectures that the Grabhorn print comes from the first state, and that the Riese impression was from a reissued second state made when Ebizō acted in the role a second time.