FUJIMURA HANDAYÛ II

Stage names:

Fujimura Handayû II In Japanese
Fujimura Hanjûrô I In Japanese
Fujimura Handayû II In Japanese

Line number: NIDAIME (II)

Poetry name: Banfû

Existence: ??? ~ 23rd day of the 8th lunar month of 1745 [1]

Connection:

Father: Fujimura Handayû I

Son: Fujimura Hanjûrô II

Career:

Beginning of the 1700s: he started his career in Kyôto, performing under the name of Fujimura Handayû II.

7th lunar month of 1706: Handayû performed in Kyôto in the summer drama "Naniwamaru"; this was most likely his last performance in Kyôto.

Fall 1706: Handayû and Yoshioka Motome II went to Edo.

11th lunar month of 1706: Handayû played at the Nakamuraza the role of Samidare-no-Mae in the kaomise drama "Uji Genji Yumihari-zuki".

2nd lunar month of 1708: Handayû's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, was (superior) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1708: Handayû performed the Moritaza in the kaomise drama "Onna Sanbijin Imose Nishiki"; his stage partners were Ichikawa Danzô I, Tomizawa Hanzaburô I, Sakurayama Shirosaburô I, Takeshima Kôzaemon I and Iwai Sagenta I.

3rd lunar month of 1709: Handayû's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, was jô-jô (superior - superior) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1711: Handayû played at the Nakamuraza the role of Mikasa-no-Mae in the kaomise drama "Mitsu Uroko Katoku Biraki".

4th lunar month of 1713: Handayû's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, was jô-jô-(shiro)kichi (superior - superior - (white) excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1714: Handayû played at the Nakamuraza the role of Onoe in the kaomise drama "Banmin Daifukuchô".

11th lunar month of 1715: Handayû played at the Moritaza the role of Okuni in Mitsushima Shichirôzaemon's drama "Hayazaki Onna Shimabara".

1st lunar month of 1716: Handayû's rank in two Edo hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, was jô-jô-(hanshiro)kichi (superior - superior - (half-white) excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1717: Handayû played at the Ichimuraza the role of Otowa-no-Mae in the kaomise drama "Kinkazan Yoroi Biraki".

11th lunar month of 1718: Handayû played at the Nakamuraza the role of Yakumo-no-Mae in the kaomise drama "Hirakana Yomeiri Izu Nikki", which welcomed in Edo the Kamigata actor Sanogawa Mangiku.

11th lunar month of 1719: Handayû played at the Ichimuraza the role of Nowake-no-Mae in the kaomise drama "Tategami Teika Kazura", which celebrated the shûmei of Tsuruya Nanboku I and Nanboku Magotarô II.

1st lunar month of 1720: Handayû's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, was jô-jô-(hanshiro)kichi (superior - superior - (half-white) excellent) [visual] in one hyôbanki and jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual] in another hyôbanki. Handayû played in the same theater the role of Ôiso no Tora in the new year sogamono drama "Kamanari Nigiwai Soga".

2nd lunar month of 1720: Handayû's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, was jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1720: Handayû played at the Nakamuraza the role of Ôshû-no-Nishiki [2] in the kaomise drama "Michinoku Taiheiki".

1st lunar month of 1721 Handayû's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, was jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual]. He played in the same theater the role of Kewaizaka no Shôshô in the new year sogamono drama "Kichijô Ôtaka Soga", which celebrated the shûmei of Kamakura Chôkurô II.

11th lunar month of 1721: Handayû played at the Ichimuraza the role of Watanabe Minbu's nyôbô Ikuta-no-Mae in the kaomise drama "Kichirei Imagawajô".

1st lunar month of 1722 Handayû's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, fell to jô-jô-(hanshiro)kichi (superior - superior - (half-white) excellent) [visual] [3].

11th lunar month of 1722: Handayû performed at the Ichimuraza in the kaomise drama "Hinazuru Katoku Soga".

1st lunar month of 1723: Handayû's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, was jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual]. He shared the same rank with Sanjô Kantarô II and Tamazawa Rin'ya. Handayû played in the same theater the role of the courtesan Ôiso no Tora in the new year sogamono "Manazuru Kazô Soga"; his stage partner in the role of Soga Jûrô (Tora's lover) was Sawamura Sôjûrô I.

11th lunar month of 1723: Handayû played at the Moritaza the role of Hayata's nyôbô Kumoi in the kaomise drama "Yorimasa Kaikeizan"; the role of I no Hayata was played by Tomizawa Hanzaburô I.

1st lunar month of 1724: Handayû's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, was jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual]. He shared the same rank with Tsutsui Kichijûrô I, Yamashita Kinsaku I, Sanjô Kantarô II and Tamazawa Rin'ya.

11th lunar month of 1724: Handayû played at the Ichimuraza the role of the tsubone Sanuki in the kaomise drama "Bankoku Taiheiki".

1st lunar month of 1725: Handayû's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, was jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual]. He shared the same rank with Yamashita Kinsaku I, Matsushima Hyôtarô and Sanjô Kantarô II.

11th lunar month of 1725: no record in any kaomise program in Edo [4].

1st lunar month of 1726: no record in any hyôbanki in Edo [4].

11th lunar month of 1726: Handayû played at the Nakamuraza the role of Toriumi Yasaburô's sister Sakuragi [5] in the kaomise drama "Kaomise Jûnidan"; the role of Toriumi Yasaburô was played by Sawamura Sôjûrô I.

1st lunar month of 1727: Handayû's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, was jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual]. He shared the same rank with Yamashita Kinsaku I and Sanjô Kantarô II.

11th lunar month of 1727: Handayû played at the Moritaza the role of Kusunoki Kikusui in the kaomise drama "Hônen Taiheiki"; his stage partners were Ichikawa Danzô I (Hata Rokurôzaemon), Tomizawa Hanzaburô I (Moronô), Sakata Hangorô I (Nagasaki Kageyu Saemon), Ichikawa Monnosuke I (Kusunoki Masatsura), Tamazawa Kôjûrô (Nitta Yoshisada), Sodesaki Miwano I (Manjû no Mae), Tsuruya Nanboku I (Shinozuka Iga-no-Kami) and Yamamoto Hanasato (Kôtô-no-Naishi).

1st lunar month of 1728: Handayû's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, was jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual]. He shared the same rank with Yamashita Kinsaku I, Sanjô Kantarô II and Tsugawa Kamon.

11th lunar month of 1728: no record in any hyôbanki in Edo [4].

11th lunar month of 1729: Handayû became tachiyaku and took the name of Fujimura Hanjûrô I at the Ichimuraza, performing in the kaomise drama "Chôseiden Shiraga Kintoki".

1st lunar month of 1730: Hanjûrô's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô-(shiro)hankichi (superior - superior - (white) half excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1730: Hanjûrô played at the Ichimuraza the role of Hôjô Tokisada in the kaomise drama "Hiragana Tokiwa Hachinoki".

1st lunar month of 1731: Hanjûrô's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô-(shiro)hankichi (superior - superior - (white) half excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1731: Hanjûrô played at the Moritaza the role of Sano no Gentôta in the kaomise drama "Honryô Sakae Hachinoki".

1st lunar month of 1732: Hanjûrô's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô-(shiro)hankichi (superior - superior - (white) half excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1732: Hanjûrô played at the Moritaza the role of Hachiman Tarô in the kaomise drama "Ikioi Gongorô Kagemasa".

1st lunar month of 1733: Hanjûrô's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, fell to jô-jô (superior - superior) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1733: he switched back to wakaonnagata and took back the name of Fujimura Handayû II at the Moritaza, playing the role of Yasumasa's wife in the kaomise drama "Ebyôbu Shuten Dôji"; the role of Hirai no Yasumasa was played by Wakaura Kinjûrô.

1st lunar month of 1734: Handayû's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, was jô-jô-(shiro)kichi (superior - superior - (white) excellent) [visual]; he was the kanjiku for wakaonnagata actors.

11th lunar month of 1734: Handayû played at the Nakamuraza the role of Yamagami Gennai's mother in the kaomise drama "Kyôganoko Secchû no Tamatori", which celebrated the arrival in Edo of the Kamigata actor Nakamura Shingorô I.

1st lunar month of 1735: Handayû's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, was jô-jô-(shiro)kichi (superior - superior - (white) excellent) [visual]; he was the kanjiku for wakaonnagata actors.

11th lunar month of 1735: Handayû performed at the Nakamuraza in the kaomise drama "Tono Zukuri Shinoda-zuma".

1st lunar month of 1736: Handayû's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, was back to jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - (white) excellent) [visual]; he was the kanjiku for wakaonnagata actors.

1736 ~ 1744: Handayû did not perform in ôshibai; was he sick or has he retired from the Kabuki world?

2nd lunar month of 1745: Handayû was back on stage, at the Moritaza, where he performed in the new year drama "Haru Gasumi Omokage Soga".

23rd day of the 8th lunar month of 1745 [1]: Handayû died in Edo.

Comments:

Fujimura Handayû II was born and trained in Kamigata during the first half of the 1700s but he achieved fame for himself in Edo from the beginning of the 1710s to the end of the 1720s, where he was awarded the prestigious jô-jô-kichi ranking, alike Arashi Kiyosaburô I, Asao Jûjirô I, Hayakawa Hatsuse, Nakamura Gentarô, Sanjô Kantarô II or Tamazawa Rin'ya. He was outstanding in nuregoto and onna budô. He was considered as the pioneer in creating and developing the onna budô roles in Edo. It was worthy to note that he performed as a tachiyaku for 4 seasons but he was not as successful as he used to be when he was onnagata.

[1] The 23rd day of the 8th lunar month of the 2nd year of the Enkyô era was the 18th of September 1745 in the western calendar.

[2] Literally Nishikigi from the province of Ôshû.

[3] He was nevertheless the best onnagata actor in Edo in 1722!

[4] Neither in Ôsaka nor in Kyôto!

[5] Sakuragi or Kisaragi. Both names were recorded in the 2nd volume of the "Kabuki Nenpyô". Which one was correct?

Fujimura Handayû II in a print made by Torii Kiyomasu I

The Fujimura Hanjûrô line of actors

The Fujimura Handayû line of actors

 
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