Stage names:

Fujioka Daikichi
Itô Rokusaburô

Poetry name: Jôhô (?)

Existence: ??? ~ 14th day of the 9th lunar month of 1757 ^[1]

Connection:

Disciples: Fujioka Monzô, Fujioka Kokichi

Career:

??? ~ 1710: he started his career as a disciple of the Itô clan, performing as a wakaonnagata in miyaji shibai, like the Shinmei no Shibai in the precincts of the Hachiman Shrine in the district of Ichigaya in Edo.

11th lunar month of 1710: Itô Rokusaburô took the name of Fujioka Daikichi at the Moritaza, performing as a wakaonnagata in the kaomise drama "Onna Tsuwamono Tokiwa no Matsu".

11th lunar month of 1717: Daikichi played at the Moritaza the role of the ame-uri Koshiba in Murase Genzaburô's kaomise drama "Hônô Taiheiki".

Fall 1718: Daikichi went to Ôsaka.

11th lunar month of 1718: Daikichi played in Ôsaka at the Kita no Shinchi Shibai the role of the courtesan Eguchi in the kaomise drama "In'yô Inui no Machi-zukuri".

11th lunar month of 1720: Daikichi played at the Kado no Shibai the role of Hideemon's mekake Satake [illustration] in the kaomise drama "Hana Yakata Chibikizuru", which was produced by Kirinoya Gonjûrô I (who played the role of the karô Yamaki Hideemon).

Fall 1721: Daikichi settled in Kyôto.

11th lunar month of 1721: Daikichi performed at Hoteiya Umenojô's theater in the kaomise drama "Banshiki Kogane no Miyako".

1st lunar month of 1723: Daikichi played at Daikokuya Takenojô's theater the role of Oyura in the new year drama "Keisei Hitomaruzuka" which was produced by Otowa Jirosaburô I.

11th lunar month of 1723: Daikichi played the role of Kanbê's nyôbô Kiku in the kaomise drama "Manchô Chitose-gura", which was produced by Arashi Sanjûrô I for the nadai Ebisuya Kichirôbê.

Summer 1731: tour in Nagoya.

11th lunar month of 1731: Daikichi became tachiyaku and played at Hayagumo Chôdayû's theater the role of Gonroku in Sawamura Bunji's kaomise drama "Asahi no Ichikura Eigô Seki".

11th lunar month of 1732: Daikichi played in Kyôto at Kameya Kumenojô's theater in the kaomise drama "Hayazaki Kogane no Hanabusa"; his stage partners were Ichiyama Sukegorô I, Arashi Kanshirô I, Nakamura Kiyosaburô I, Somenoi Hanshirô, Matsushima Moheiji, Kirinami Takie, Tomizawa Montarô I, Shinozuka Kazaemon and Arashi Koroku I.

1733: tour in Nagoya.

Fall 1734: Daikichi settled in Kyôto.

11th lunar month of 1734: Daikichi played at Miyako Mandayû's theater the role of Hamaoka Kôsuke in the kaomise drama "Tomi Yakata Kogane no Yaguruma".

5th lunar month of 1735: first Kabuki adaptation of the puppet theater drama "Ashiya Dôman Ôuchi Kagami", which was produced by Nakamura Tomijûrô I in Kyôto at Miyako Mandayû's theater; Daikichi played the roles of Sakon Tarô and the yakko Yokanpei [casting].

Fall 1737: Daikichi settled in Ôsaka.

11th lunar month of 1737: Daikichi played at the Naka no Shibai the role of the rônin Tezuka Jûnai in the kaomise drama "Fukakusa-no-In Sannô no Maki".

Fall 1740: Daikichi settled in Kyôto.

11th lunar month of 1740: Daikichi played at Miyako Mandayû's theater the role of Hamaoka Kôsuke in the kaomise drama "Asuka Miyako Jindai no Maki".

5th lunar month of 1742: Chikamatsu Monzaemon's play "Shinshû Kawanakajima Kassen" was adapted for Kabuki for the first time, in Kyôto at the Kitagawa no Shibai; Daikichi played the role of Yamamoto Kansuke Haruyuki [more details].

11th lunar month of 1742: Daikichi played at the Minamigawa no Shibai the role of Nagoya Sanza in the kaomise drama "Kaeribana Konrei Nagoya", which was produced by Nakamura Kumetarô I; the role of Nagoya Sanza's rival Fuwa Banzaemon was played by Ogino Izaburô I.

1st lunar month of 1745: Daikichi's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual].

8th lunar month of 1745: first Kabuki adaptation of Namiki Senryû I, Miyoshi Shôraku and Takeda Koizumo puppet theater drama "Natsu Matsuri Naniwa Kagami", which was produced by Nakamura Kiyosaburô I at Miyako Mandayû's theater; Daikichi played the role of Danshichi Kurobê [more details].

9th lunar month of 1746: first Kabuki adaptation of Takeda Izumo I, Miyoshi Shôraku, Namiki Senryû I and Takeda Koizumo puppet theater drama "Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami", which was produced by Kiyosaburô at Miyako Mandayû's theater (the Kitagawa no Shibai); Daikichi played the roles of Kan Shôjô and Matsuômaru [casting].

11th lunar month of 1747: Daikichi played in the kaomise drama "Teikin Ôrai Manzoku Kagami", which was produced by Nakamura Matsubê I at the Kitagawa no Shibai and celebrated the shûmei of Sakakiyama Kôshirô II and his son Sakakiyama Shirotarô II. Others stage partners were Yamashita Matatarô I, Takenaka Heikichi, Fujikawa Heikurô, Nakamura Kiyosaburô I, Nakamura Shirogorô III, Kasaya Matakurô I, Asao Motogorô I and Sanogawa Hanazuma II.

11th lunar month of 1748: Daikichi played the roles of Hôjô Jûnai (in reality Sagami Tarô Tokiyuki) and the yakko Namihei in the kaomise drama "Mitsu Uroko Asahi no Ume", which was produced in Kyôto at Miyako Handayû's theater by the zamoto Somematsu Shichisaburô I; his stage partners were Ichikawa Danzô III, Iwata Somematsu I, Yamanaka Heijûrô I, Mihogi Shichitarô and Ôtani Hirohachi I.

1st lunar month of 1751: first Kabuki adaptation of the puppet theater drama "Tamamo-no-Mae Asahi no Tamoto", which was produced in Kyôto by Miyako Handayû at his theater; Daikichi played the roles of Abe no Yasunari and Michiharu [casting].

11th lunar month of 1752: Daikichi played at the Minamigawa no Shibai the roles of Gengobê and Yokichi (in reality Akechi Samanosuke) in the kaomise drama "Hatsubaika Asahi no Minato", which was produced by Yamashita Matatarô I.

1st lunar month of 1753: first Kabuki adaptation of the 5 acts puppet theater drama "Yamatogana Ariwara Keizu", which was produced as a new year drama at the Minamigawa no Shibai by Yamashita Matatarô I; Daikichi played the roles of Ranpei and Suma no Hyôe [casting].

2nd lunar month of 1753: Daikichi played in the same theater the roles of Hoshino Saibê [illustration] and Nomura Nasuemon in the ni-no-kawari drama "Keisei Naruo no Umi".

11th lunar month of 1753: Daikichi played at Hoteiya Umenojô's theater in the kaomise drama "Futaba no Nishiki Midori no Onikage"; his stage partners were Somematsu Shichisaburô I, Sakata Tôjûrô III, Imamura Shichisaburô II, Sawamura Kunitarô I and Arashi Tominosuke I.

2nd lunar month of 1757: Daikichi played in Kyôto at the Kitano no Shibai the roles of Izawa Buhei, Sansuke and Araki Mataemon in the drama "Futokoro Musume Kawaii Hara Obi"; this was most likely his last stage appearance.

14th day of the 9th lunar month of 1757 ^[1]: Daikichi died in Kyôto.

Comments:

Fujioka Daikichi was a talented and popular actor, who started his career in Edo and moved to Kamigata in 1718. He was at first a wakaonnagata actor, excelling in onryôgoto or onna budô. He decided to become a tachiyaku at the beginning of the 1730s, definitively settled in Kyôto at the end of 1740 and reached the jô-jô-kichi rank in 1745. He was outstanding in rônin or otokodate roles in sewamono dramas.

[1] The 14th day of the 9th lunar month of the 7th year of the Hôreki era was the 26th of October 1757 in the western calendar.

The actors Fujioka Daikichi (the killer) and Onogawa Ichimatsu (the victim) playing the roles of Tsukioka Wadaroku and Sodesuke in the drama "Keisei Asahi no Daikai", which was staged in Nagoya in 1733

Prints & Illustrations