Ichikawa Kuzō II as Manservant Sodesuke (Fuji no shimobe Sodesuke)

The manservant Sodesuke is a character from the play “The Iris Blossom and the Soga Brothers of the Bunroku Era” (Hana ayame Bunroku Soga), which premiered at the Miyakoza Theatre in the 5th month of 1794. The dates of later performances are not known. As an actor, Ichikawa Kuzō II (1800–1871) used the name Kuzō II in 1835–1852; otherwise, he was also known as Ichikawa Danzō VI. This means he must have played the character of Sodesuke after 1835. Besides the names of the character and actor and the artist’s signature, the print also bears the censor’s stamp kiwame (approved) and the publisher’s mark Sei of the publisher Seijirō from the Maruya House. (See Helena Honcoopová, Kunisada, Praha 2005, p. 128)