Stage names:
Ichikawa Ebijûrô I
Ichinokawa Ichizô
Ichikawa Ichizô I
Guild: Harimaya
Line number: SHODAI (I)
Poetry names: Shikaku, Shinshô
Existence: 1777 ~ 16th day of the 7th lunar month of 1827
Connection:
Masters: Ichikawa Danjûrô VII, Ichikawa Danzô IV
Son: Ichikawa Ebijûrô II
Grandson: Ichikawa Ichizô III
Disciple: Ichikawa Ebijûrô III
Career:
1777 ~ 1808: born in Ôsaka. He starts his career as a disciple of Ichikawa Danzô IV, who gives him the name of Ichikawa Ichizô I. He performs in miyaji shibai or hama shibai.
Winter 1799: he joins the ôshibai, playing at the for the first time at the Naka no Shibai.
6th lunar month of 1808: tour in Nagoya for a troupe led by Kataoka Nizaemon VII, Nakayama Tomisaburô I, Ogino Izaburô II, Ichizô, Nakayama Bungorô I and Ichikawa Yaozô IV; they perform at the Tachibana no Shibai in dramas like "Keisei Takasago no Matsu", "Futa Meoto Sarashi no Hinagata" or "Azuma Kagami Mikari no Maki".
9th day of the 10th lunar month of 1808: his master falls sick and dies; Ichizô has to replace him on the spot in the role of Satô Masakiyo in the drama "Hachijin Shugo no Honjô", which is staged at the Naka no Shibai.
12th lunar month of 1809: Ichizô performs his onagori kyôgen at the Kita-Horie Ichi-no-Gawa Shibai (Ôsaka), playing the role of the yakko Rampei in the drama "Yamatogana Ariwara Keizu".
1st lunar month of 1810: Ichizô goes to Edo and plays at the Moritaza the roles of Satô Masakiyo and Sasaki Shirô Takatsuna in the drama "Hachijin Shugo no Honjô".
5th lunar month of 1811: Ichizô plays for the first time 7 roles (nanayaku) in the drama "Kanadehon Chûshingura", which is staged at the Moritaza. Roles: Kô no Moronô, Ôboshi Yuranosuke, Kakogawa Honzô, Hayano Kampei, Yoichibei, Ono no Sadakurô and Amakawaya Gihei. His master was the first actor in Kabuki history to perform 7 roles in "Kanadehon Chûshingura" (some differences in the the roles between the master and the disciple). Ichizô achieves a great success with his performance.
11th lunar month of 1812: Ichizô becomes jitsuaku and plays at the Nakamuraza 5 roles in the drama "Edo Zakura Megumi no Takanori".
1st lunar month of 1813: Ichizô's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, jitsuaku section, is jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent).
1815: he temporarily performs under the name of Ichinokawa Ichizô.
7th lunar month of 1815: he is introduced by Nakamura Utaemon III to the Edo actor Ichikawa Danjûrô VII, who welcomes him as a high-ranking disciple, gives him the name of Ichikawa Ebijûrô I and gives him many presents like swords, which belonged to Ichikawa Ebizô II and Ichikawa Ebizô III.
9th lunar month of 1815: Ichinokawa Ichizô officially takes the name of Ichikawa Ebijûrô I at the Nakamuraza, playing the role of Utaemon and Fukashichi in the dramas "Oriawase Tsuzure no Nishiki" and "Imoseyama Onna Teikin". His stage partners are Nakamura Utaemon III, Bandô Mitsugorô III, Nakamura Matsue III and Onoe Baikô III.
Fall 1815: Ebijûrô and Nakamura Utaemon III go back to Kamigata together.
11th lunar month of 1815: Ebijûrô plays at the Kado no Shibai the roles of Hayano Kampei, Ono Kudayû and Takuhei in the drama "Taiheiki Chûshin Kôshaku".
1st lunar month of 1816: Ebijûrô's rank in the Kamigata hyôbanki, tachiyaku/jitsuaku section (a special section for Ebijûrô only), is jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent).
10th lunar month of 1817: Ebijûrô plays 7 roles (nanayaku) in the drama "Kanadehon Chûshingura", which is staged at the Kita-Horie Ichi-no-Gawa Shibai (Ôsaka). Same roles as the 5th lunar month of 1811 performance.
1st lunar month of 1819: Ebijûrô plays at the Kado no Shibai the role of Shigetada in the drama "Dan no Ura Kabuto Gunki". His stage partners in the roles of the courtesan Akoya and Iwanaga Saemon are Nakamura Matsue III and Asao Kuzaemon I.
1st lunar month of 1820: Ebijûrô and his son Ichikawa Ichizô II go together to Edo; They play at the Kawarazakiza in the new year program "Tama no Haru Soga no Kadomatsu".
5th lunar month of 1821: Ebijûrô plays at the Nakamuraza the roles of Benkei and Tôyata in the drama "Gosho Zakura Horikawa no Youchi". He also plays the roles of Ôboshi Yuranosuke and Kakogawa Honzô in "Kanadehon Chûshingura".
7th lunar month of 1821: Ebijûrô plays in the same theater the roles of Shiga Taishichi, the shôya Shichirobei and Azumaya Kichibei in the drama "Go Taiheiki Shiraishi Banashi".
Fall 1821: Ebijûrô goes back to Ôsaka.
11th lunar month of 1821: Ebijûrô plays at the Naka no Shibai the roles of Saemon and Heita in the drama "Sanjukkoku Yobune no Hajimari".
12th lunar month of 1821: Ebijûrô plays in the same theater 2 roles in the drama "Sugata Kurabe Deiri no Minato".
6th lunar month of 1822: tour in Miyajima with Sawamura Kunitarô II.
11th lunar month of 1823: Ebijûrô plays at the Kitagawa no Shibai the role of Shigetada in the drama "Dan no Ura Kabuto Gunki". His stage partners are Nakamura Utaemon III (Iwanaga Saemon) and Nakamura Karoku I (Akoya).
1st lunar month of 1824: Ebijûrô's rank in the Kamigata hyôbanki is shi-jô-jô-kichi (unique - superior - superior - excellent).
2nd lunar month of 1826: Ebijûrô plays at the Kitagawa no Shibai the roles of Rokusuke and Senoo Jûrô Kaneyasu in the dramas "Hikosan Gongen Chikai no Sukedachi" and "Gempei Nunobiki no Taki".
1st lunar month of 1827: Ebijûrô's rank in the Kamigata hyôbanki, jitsuaku and katakiyaku section, is hakudai-jô-jô-kichi (almost grand - superior - superior - excellent). He appears on stage for the last time, at the Naka no Shibai, playing 4 roles in the new year drama "Keisei Asoyama Zakura".
16th day of the 7th lunar month of 1827: Ebijûrô dies in Ôsaka.
Comments:
Ichikawa Ebijûrô I was a talented tachiyaku actor, who was trained by Ichikawa Danzô IV and achieved fame for himself in both Edo and Kamigata. He excelled in large-scale tachimawari and hayagawari techniques.
Ichikawa Ebijûrô I playing the role of Issun Tokubei in the drama "Natsu Matsuri Naniwa Kagami" in a fan-shaped print made by Shunkôsai Hokushû (1822~1826)
Print made by Utagawa Toyokuni in 1814
Print made by Shunkôsai Hokushû in 1816
Print made by Utagawa Kunihiro in 1817
Print made by Shunkôsai Hokushû in 1820
Print made by Utagawa Toyokuni in 1820
The Ichikawa Ichizô line of actors
The Ichikawa Ebijûrô line of actors