Stage names:
| Yoshizawa Ayame V |  |
| Yoshizawa Iroha I | |
Guild: Tachibanaya
Line number: GODAIME (V)
Poetry name: Kôho, Hakô, Ippô
Existence: 1754 ~ 26th day of the 8th lunar month of 1810
Connections:
Grandfather: Yoshizawa Ayame I
Father: Yoshizawa Ayame III
Uncles: Yoshizawa Ayame II, Nakamura Tomijûrô I, Yamashita Matatarô I
Son: Yoshizawa Iroha II
Adopted son: Yoshizawa Sakinosuke IV
Disciples: Yoshizawa Hachizô, Yoshizawa Kamezô
Family map: the Yoshizawa Clan
Career:
11th lunar month of 1773: Iroha produces in Kyôto the kaomise drama "Etari ya Etari Tsuwamono Majiwari".
9th lunar month of 1781: Iroha produces in Ôsaka at the Kado no Shibai the drama "Imoseyama Onna Teikin", in which he plays the roles of Koganosuke and Princess Tachibana; his stage partners are Nakamura Tomijûrô I (Omiwa, Sadaka), Nakamura Utaemon I (Soga no Iruka), Nakayama Bunshichi I (Daihanji no Kiyosumi, Shibaroku) and Nakamura Noshio II (Hinadori).
1st lunar month of 1782: the play "Tengajaya-Mura" is staged for the first time in Kyôto, at the Kitagawa no Shibai; Iroha plays the role of Somenoi [casting]
5th lunar month of 1784: premiere at the Kado no Shibai of Nagawa Shimesuke I's drama "Sumidagawa Gonichi no Omokage"; Iroha plays the role of Okumi [casting].
11th lunar month of 1784: Iroha plays at the Kado no Shibai the roles of Yae and Tonami in the drama "Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami", which is produced by Onoe Ushinosuke I.
1st lunar month of 1794: Iroha's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, is jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent).
2nd lunar month of 1794: premiere at the Naka no Shibai of Namiki Gohei I's drama "Shima Meguri Uso no Kikigaki"; the last scenes are a sewamono drama, which will be staged independently in the 5th lunar month of 1794 under the title "Godairiki Koi no Fûjime"; Iroha plays the role of the courtesan Kikuno [more details].
11th lunar month of 1794: Iroha plays the role of Princess Miyuki in the drama "Kana Utsushi Azuchi Mondô", which is produced by Nakayama Yosaburô II at the Naka no Shibai.
1st lunar month of 1795: Iroha's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, is jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent).
8th lunar month of 1795: Iroha plays at the Naka no Shibai the roles of Okaru and Osono in the drama "Kanadehon Chûshingura".
2nd lunar month of 1796: Suga Sensuke's puppet theater drama "Keisei Koi no Hikyaku" is adapted to Kabuki for the first time and staged at the Kado no Shibai; Iroha plays the role of Umegawa [casting].
7th lunar month of 1796: premiere in Ôsaka at the Kado no Shibai of the drama "Ise Ondo Koi no Netaba"; Iroha plays the role of the courtesan Okon [casting].
5th lunar month of 1798: Iroha plays the role of Otatsu in the drama "Natsu Matsuri Naniwa Kagami", which is produced by Nakayama Yosaburô II at the Kado no Shibai; his stage partners are Kataoka Nizaemon VII (Danshichi Kurobei), Nakayama Bunzô (Issun Tokubei), Yamashita Kinsaku II (Okaji) and Seki Sanjûrô I (Tsuribune Sabu).
11th lunar month of 1800: first Kabuki adaptation of Chikamatsu Yanagi's puppet theater drama "Ehon Taikôki", which is produced by Nakayama Tokujirô in Ôsaka at the Kado no Shibai; Iroha plays the role of Misao [casting].
1st lunar month of 1801: Iroha is the kanjiku for the onnagata actors in the Ôsaka hyôbanki.
10th lunar month of 1801: Iroha plays at the Naka no Shibai the roles of Karaki Masaemon's wife Otane and Sasaki Tan'emon's wife Sasao in the drama "Igagoe Norikake Gappa", which is produced by Yamashita Tokujirô; the roles of Karaki Masaemon and Sasaki Tan'emon are played by Kataoka Nizaemon VII and Arashi Kichisaburô II.
11th lunar month of 1801: the troupe which was at the Naka no Shibai moves to Kyôto to perform the same drama, which is produced by Arashi Kumanosuke at the Minamigawa no Shibai.
1st lunar month of 1802: Iroha's rank in the Kamigata hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, is hakudai-jô-jô-kichi (almost grand - superior - superior - excellent).
Summer 1802: the drama "Ehon Taikôki" is staged for the first time in Kyôto, at the Kitagawa no Shibai; it is produced by Arashi Sangorô III and Iroha plays the role of Misao [casting].
11th lunar month of 1802: Iroha takes part in the kaomise drama "Fûryû Kokusen'ya", which is produced by Azuma Tomijirô at the Kitagawa no Shibai and celebrates the shûmei of Nakayama Shinkurô III. His stage partners are Ichikawa Danzô IV, Arashi Sangorô III, Arashi Kichisaburô II, Sawamura Kunitarô I, Nakayama Bungorô I and Kanô Minshi I.
11th lunar month of 1803: Iroha takes part in the kaomise drama "Sôzoku Ishibashiyama", which is staged at the Naka no Shibai and celebrates the shûmei of Asao Tamejûrô II. His stage partners are Ichikawa Danzô IV, Bandô Hikosaburô III, Nakamura Daikichi I and Nakayama Shinkurô III.
12th lunar month of 1803: Iroha plays in the same theater the role of Chiyo in the drama "Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami".
1st lunar month of 1804: the troupe which was at the Naka no Shibai moves to Kyôto to perform again "Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami".
2nd lunar month of 1804: the troupe goes back to Ôsaka; Iroha plays the roles of Sadaka and Princess Tachibana in the drama "Imoseyama Onna Teikin"; the role of Daihanji no Kiyosumi is played by the Edo star Bandô Hikosaburô III.
10th lunar month of 1804: Iroha plays at the Kita-Shinchi no Shibai (Ósaka) the role of Osono in the drama "Akiba Gongen Kaisen Banashi"; the roles of Rokusuke and Kyôgoku no Takumi are played by Ichikawa Danzô IV and Ôtani Tomoemon II.
11th lunar month of 1804: Iroha takes part at the Naka no Shibai in the kaomise "Minoriyoshi Kane no Naruki", which is produced by his son Yoshizawa Enjirô. His stage partners are Kataoka Nizaemon VII, Ichikawa Danzô IV, Arashi Sangorô III and Asao Kuzaemon I.
12th lunar month of 1804: Iroha plays in the same theater the role of Osono in the drama "Akiba Gongen Kaisen Banashi"; the role of Rokusuke is played by Ichikawa Danzô IV.
3rd lunar month of 1805: Iroha plays in the same theater the roles of Okaru and Osono in the drama "Kanadehon Chûshingura".
11th lunar month of 1805: Iroha plays plays at the Minamigawa no Shibai the role of Shizuka Gozen in the drama "Yoshitsune Sembon Zakura"; the role of Tadanobu is played by Nakamura Utaemon III.
12th lunar month of 1805: the troupe which was at the Minamigawa no Shibai moves to Ôsaka to perform the same drama, which is produced by Yamashita Tokujirô at the Naka no Shibai.
4th ~ 6th lunar months of 1806: tour in Nagoya for a troupe led by Iroha, Arashi Kichisaburô II, Arashi Sangorô III, Sawamura Tanosuke II and Nakayama Bungorô I; they perform at the Tachibana no Shibai in dramas like "Keisei Sakura no Shima", "Gion Sairei Shinkôki", "Hirakana Seisuiki", "Sarumawashi Kadode no Hitofushi" or "Komochi Yamamba".
12th lunar month of 1806: Iroha takes part in the kaomise drama "Ôsakazuki Asahi no Hôrai", which is produced at the Kado no Shibai by Yoshizawa Minosuke and stars Ichikawa Danzô IV, Nakamura Utaemon III, Kataoka Nizaemon VII, Nakamura Daikichi I, Nakamura Noshio III and Ogino Izaburô II.
Spring 1807: tour in Ise with Ichikawa Danzô IV.
11th lunar month of 1807: Yoshizawa Iroha I takes the name of Yoshizawa Ayame V in Kyôto at the Kitagawa no Shibai, playing the role of Sekijo in the drama "Yoshitsune Koshigoejô"; his stage partners are Seki Sanjûrô II, Asao Kuzaemon I, Nakamura Karoku I, Nakayama Shinkurô III, Nakayama Bungorô I, Nakamura Kumetarô II and Kiriyama Monji II; his disciple Yoshizawa Minosuke takes the name of Yoshizawa Sakinosuke IV.
1st lunar month of 1808: Ayame's rank in the Kamigata hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, is shin-jô-jô-kichi (truly - superior - superior - excellent).
3rd lunar month of 1808: "Hachijin Shugo no Honjô" is adapted to Kabuki for the first time, in Kyôto at the Kitagawa no Shibai; Ayame plays the roles of Asakiyo's okugata Hazue and Menoto Yasose [casting].
11th lunar month of 1808: Ayame takes part at the Naka no Shibai in the kaomise drama "Shima Meguri Tsuki no Yumihari".
5th lunar month of 1809: Ayame plays at the Naka no Shibai the role of Owasa in the drama "Gosho Zakura Horikawa no Youchi"; the role of Benkei is played by Kataoka Nizaemon VII. He also plays the role of Tonami in the drama "Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami".
11th lunar month of 1809: Ayame plays at the Kado no Shibai in the kaomise drama "Keishoku Yuki-miru Yama", which is produced by Mimasu Kumesaburô and stars Nakayama Hyakka, Arashi Kichisaburô II, Asao Kuzaemon I, Nakayama Shinkurô III, Nakamura Daikichi I, Kanô Minshi I and Asao Okuyama III.
1st lunar month of 1810: premiere at the Kado no Shibai of Chikamatsu Tokuzô and Namiki Miyosuke ni-no-kawari drama "Keisei Sato no Funauta"; Ayame plays the roles of Ikkaku's wife Mayumi, Ofuji and Osawa [casting]; this is Ayame's last appearance on stage!
26th day of the 8th lunar month of 1810: Ayame dies in Ôsaka.
Comments:
Yoshizawa Ayame V was a talented onnagata actor, endowed with a great appearance and excelling in keisei roles. His vocal projection was perfect and he was more at ease in sewamono than in jidaimono.
Yoshizawa Ayame V portraying the courtesan Tamagawa in a print made by Shôkôsai in 1808
Print made by Shôkôsai in 1799
The Yoshizawa Iroha line of actors
The Yoshizawa Ayame line of actors