YOSHIZAWA AYAME IV

Stage names:

Yoshizawa Ayame IV In Japanese
Yoshizawa Sakinosuke III In Japanese
Yoshizawa Goroichi I In Japanese
Yoshizawa Man'yo II In Japanese
Yoshizawa Goroichi I In Japanese
Yamashita Ichigorô In Japanese
Yamashita Koshikibu In Japanese

Other name:

Yoshizawa Ayame In Japanese

Guild: Tachibanaya

Line number: YODAIME (IV)

Poetry names: Kokai, Shunsui, Hakô

Existence: 1737 ~ 28th day of the 9th lunar month of 1792 [1]

Connections:

Adoptive father: Yoshizawa Ayame II

Master: Yamashita Matatarô I

Sons: Yoshizawa Tsurumatsu, Yoshizawa Kichijûrô I

Disciples: Yoshizawa Goroichi II, Yoshizawa Kônosuke, Yoshizawa Mikizô

Family map: the Yoshizawa Clan

Career:

1737 ~ 1745: born in Kamigata. He started his career as a disciple of the actor Yamashita Matatarô I, receiving the names of Yamashita Koshikibu and Yamashita Ichigorô at unknown dates.

Fall 1744: he becamse a disciple of Yoshizawa Ayame II and received the name of Yoshizawa Goroichi I.

11th lunar month of 1744: Goroichi performed as an iroko at the Ônishi no Shibai in the kaomise drama "Azuma Soga Fujimi no Sato", which was produced by Nakamura Jûzô I.

11th lunar month of 1745: Goroichi and his master went together to Edo and performed at the Ichimuraza in the kaomise drama "Onna Kusunoki Yosooi Kagami".

11th lunar month of 1752: Goroichi went back to Kamigata; he played at the Kitagawa no Shibai in the drama "Tenka Taiheiki", which was produced by Arashi San'emon IV and celebrated the shûmei of Sawamura Otoemon II.

11th lunar month of 1753: Yoshizawa Goroichi I took the name of Yoshizawa Man'yo II, playing the role of Princess Hayasaki in the drama "Nakatomi Sandaijin", which was produced by Ichimura Sanohachi at the Naka no Shibai.

2nd lunar month of 1754: Man'yo played the role of Konami in the drama "Kanadehon Chûshingura", which was produced in the same theater. The role of Konami's mother Tonase was played by Yoshizawa Ayame II.

18th day of the 7th lunar month of 1754 [2]: his master Yoshizawa Ayame II died.

11th lunar month of 1754: Man'yo went to Edo and took back the name of Yoshizawa Goroichi I, performing at the Nakamuraza.

11th lunar month of 1764: Yoshizawa Goroichi I took the name of Yoshizawa Sakinosuke III at the Ichimuraza, playing the role of Hanauri Osue (the flower-selling girl Osue) in the drama "Wakaki no Hana Suma no Hatsuyuki".

1st lunar month of 1766: Sakinosuke's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, was jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual].

8th lunar month of 1768: premiere at the Nakamuraza of the drama "Tenjiku Tokubê Kokyô no Torikaji"; Sakinosuke played the role of Tenjiku Tokubê's nyôbô Ofune [more details].

11th lunar month of 1774: Sakinosuke played at the Ichimuraza the role of Tabatanosuke's wife Osaki in the kaomise drama "Chigo Sakura Jûsan Gane".

18th day of the 11th lunar month of 1774 [3]: Yoshizawa Ayame III died.

9th lunar month of 1775: Sakinosuke played at the Ichimuraza the role of Kuzu-no-Ha in the drama "Ashiya Dôman Ôuchi Kagami", his farewell performance before leaving Edo.

Fall 1775: Sakinosuke went back to Kamigata, after 22 seasons spent in Edo.

11th lunar month of 1775: Sakinosuke achieved a great success in Ôsaka at the Kado no Shibai, playing the role of Kaoyo in the drama "Hachitanashi Hyaku Monogatari", which was produced by Ogawa Kichitarô I.

1st lunar month of 1776: Sakinosuke's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, was jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual].

10th lunar month of 1776: Sakinosuke played in the same theater the role of Kuzu-no-Ha in the drama "Ashiya Dôman Ôuchi Kagami".

11th lunar month of 1776: Sakinosuke went to Edo and played at the Ichimuraza the role of Naniwazu in the kaomise drama "Sugata no Hana Yuki no Kuronushi".

7th lunar month of 1778: premiere at the Nakamuraza of the play "Date Kurabe Okuni Kabuki"; Sakinosuke played the roles of Nikki Danjô's wife Urafuji, Kisakata Gozen, Saichi's wife Nayotake, Yarite Omiya and Izumo no Okuni [casting].

11th lunar month of 1778: Yoshizawa Sakinosuke III took the name of Yoshizawa Ayame IV at the Nakamuraza, playing the role of Onoe in the kaomise drama "Motomishi Yuki Sakae Hachinoki".

11th lunar month of 1781: Ayame performed at the Ichimuraza in the kaomise drama "Mukashi Otoko Yuki no Hinagata".

1st lunar month of 1787: Ayame went back to Ôsaka; he played 2 roles in the drama "Keisei Sakura no Jindate", which was produced by Nakamura Kumetarô II at the Ônishi no Shibai.

9th lunar month of 1787: Ayame appeared on stage for the last time, performing in Ôsaka at the Kita-Horie Ichi-no-Gawa Shibai.

28th day of the 9th lunar month of 1792 [1]: Ayame died.

Comments:

Yoshizawa Ayame IV was a talented wakaonnagata, able to play in both jidaimono and sewamono. The roles of samurais or merchants spouses were his forte.

Yoshizawa Ayame IV was the only member of this line to spend more than half of his career in the Edo theaters.

[1] The 28th day of the 9th lunar month of the 4th year of the Kansei era was the 12th of November 1792 in the western calendar.

[2] The 18th day of the 7th lunar month of the 4th year of the Hôreki era was the 4th of September 1754 in the western calendar.

[3] The 18th day of the 11th lunar month of the 3rd year of the An'ei era was the 20th of December 1774 in the western calendar.

The Actor Yoshizawa Ayame IV as Yadorigi, the Sister of Nikaido Shinanosuke, disguised as Orie, the wife of Aoto Magosaburô, in Part Two of the Play “Motomishi Yuki Sakae Hachinoki” (Looking up at Falling Snow: Thriving Potted Trees), performed at the Nakamura Theater from the First Day of the Eleventh Month, 1778
Artist: Katsukawa Shunkô
Date: 1778
The Art Institute of Chicago (print in the public domain)

Prints & Illustrations

The Yoshizawa Goroichi line of actors

The Yoshizawa Sakinosuke line of actors

The Yoshizawa Ayame line of actors

 
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