The Actor Ichikawa Danjūrō II with his Words on the Theater

A street peddler, carrying his goods in a case on his back, seems to be calling out for customers; such peddlers often had distinctive chants or songs to advertise their products. Note the embossed design on the robe, which was once a glossy black. Metallic powder is seen in the case and in some of the actor’s crests on his lower robe.

In this interesting print, the peddler is played by the famous actor Ichikawa Danjūrō II (1688–1757), who is identified by the large characters and the Ichikawa crest on the right. The text that fills the empty space around him is part of his long monologue from a play. Curiously, his robe displays the crests of multiple actors, thought to be those of the actors who performed with him. Although the play is not named, it is possible to deduce the date of the print based on information about the actors and when they could have played together in one theater. The two possible plays are Tossaka no jō tsuru no sugomori, performed at the Nakamuraza theater during the eleventh month of 1721, or Ōkamado akinai Soga, performed during the first month of 1722.