Stage name:

Okada Hikokurô

Existence: ??? ~ ???

Connection:

Master: Okada Sanzaemon (?) ^[1]

Career:

Before 1724: was he a disciple of Okada Sanzaemon ? ^[1]

11th lunar month of 1724: recorded for the first time in Kyôto, where he played the role of Sagisaka Gonnai in the kaomise drama "Ôjigawa Kogane no Mizuguruma", which was produced at Miyako Mandayû's theater by Segawa Kikunojô I, welcomed in Kyôto the Edo actor Ôtani Hiroji I and celebrated the shûmei of Ichiyama Hankurô.

1st lunar month of 1725: Hikokurô's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, dôkegata section, was (shiro)jô ((white) superior).

11th lunar month of 1725: Hikokurô performed in Kyôto at Kameya Kumenojô's theater in Azuma Sanpachi's kaomise drama "Senzai Gura Sangai Matsu", which was produced by Arashi Jûjirô.

11th lunar month of 1726: Hikokurô performed in Kyôto in the kaomise drama "Shinzô Kishi no Himematsu", which was produced by Sanogawa Mangiku.

2nd lunar month of 1727: Hikokurô performed in the same theater in the new year ni-no-kawari drama "Keisei Kamakurayama".

1727 ~ 1744: no record in ôshibai. Was he on tour, performing in inaka shibai or miyaji shibai?

11th lunar month of 1744: Hikokurô was back on ôshibai stage, in Ôsaka at the Naka no Shibai, where he performed as a tachiyaku in the kaomise drama "Keisei Makura Gundan", which was produced by Anegawa Shinshirô I.

1st lunar month of 1745: Hikokurô's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô (superior) [visual].

1750 ~ 1753: no record in ôshibai. Was he on tour, performing in inaka shibai or miyaji shibai?

11th lunar month of 1752: Hikokurô was back on ôshibai stage, in Kyôto the Minamigawa no Shibai, where he played the role of Asamura Kingobei in the kaomise drama "Hatsubaika Asahi no Minato", which was produced by Yamashita Matatarô I.

1st lunar month of 1753: Hikokurô's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, dôkegata section, was jô-jô-(hanshiro)kichi (superior - superior - (half-white) excellent) [visual].

2nd lunar month of 1753: Hikokurô played in the same theater the role of Sasanamiya Denbê in the ni-no-kawari drama "Keisei Naruo no Umi".

11th lunar month of 1753: Hikokurô played at Hoteiya Umenojô's theater the role of Kimoiri Rokubê in the kaomise drama "Futaba no Nishiki Midori no Onikage", which was produced by Sawamura Kunitarô I.

2nd lunar month of 1755: first Kabuki adaptation of the 5 acts puppet theater drama "Ono no Tôfû Aoyagi Suzuri", which is produced by Sawamura Kunitarô I and staged at the Minamigawa no Shibai as a kaomise drama; Hikokurô played the role of Matakurô [casting].

11th lunar month of 1755: Hikokurô performed at the Kitagawa no Shibai in the kaomise drama "Onna Monji Heike Monogatari", which was produced by Somematsu Matsujirô.

11th lunar month of 1756: Hikokurô performed at the Kitagawa no Shibai in the kaomise drama "Ukematsuri Hôrai Yakata", which was produced by Somematsu Matsujirô.

11th lunar month of 1757: Hikokurô performed at the Kitagawa no Shibai in the kaomise drama "Tsunomoji Keman no Yurai", which was produced by Nakamura Kumetarô I.

11th lunar month of 1758: Hikokurô performed at the Kitagawa no Shibai in the kaomise drama "Inari Yakata Irifune no Arashi", which was produced by Arashi Sangorô II.

1st lunar month of 1759: Hikokurô's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, dôkegata section, was one black stroke above jô-jô-(hanshiro)kichi (superior - superior - (half-white) excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1759: Hikokurô performed in Kyôto at the Minamigawa no Shibai in the kaomise drama "Hônen no Miyako Mutsuki no Kotobuki", which was produced by Sawamura Kunitarô I and celebrated the shûmei of Nakamura Kichiemon I, Nakamura Jûzô II and Matsuya Shinjûrô.

11th lunar month of 1760: Hikokurô performed at the Kitagawa no Shibai in the kaomise drama "Kiku Nagashi Kokka Taiheiki", which was produced by Nakamura Senzô and celebrated the shûmei of Nakamura Manbê and Tamazawa Saijirô II.

1st lunar month of 1761: Hikokurô's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, dôkegata section, fell to 2 black strokes above jô-jô-(shiro)kichi (superior - superior - (white) excellent) [visual]. Hikokurô played in the same theater the role of Inanoya Jôtei in the new year ni-no-kawari drama "Keisei Kachiodera".

3rd lunar month of 1761: Hikokurô's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, dôkegata section, was jô-jô-(hanshiro)kichi (superior - superior - (half-white) excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1761: no kaomise for Hikokurô.

2nd lunar month of 1763: Hikokurô performed at the Kitagawa no Shibai in the kaomise drama "Otowayama Renbo no Taki", which was produced by Nakamura Senzô.

3rd lunar month of 1763: Hikokurô's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, dôkegata section, was jô-jô-(hanshiro)kichi (superior - superior - (half-white) excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1764: Hikokurô performed at the Minamigawa no Shibai in the kaomise drama "Tanomi-agemasu Goken Butsusama", which was produced by Sawamura Kunitarô I.

2nd lunar month of 1765: Hikokurô performed in the same theater in the ni-no-kawari drama "Keisei Takasago no Ura".

3rd lunar month of 1765: Hikokurô's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, dôkegata section, was one black stroke above jô-jô-(hanshiro)kichi (superior - superior - (half-white) excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1765: Hikokurô performed at the Kitagawa no Shibai, he worked in the kaomise drama "Takara-Kita-Yama Kogane no Ishizue", which was produced by Ogawa Kichitarô I.

1st lunar month of 1766: Hikokurô's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, dôkegata section, was jô-jô-(hanshiro)kichi (superior - superior - (half-white) excellent) [visual]. Hikokurô played in the same theater the role of Yaban Tarosuke in the new year ni-no-kawari drama "Keisei Miyako no Fuji".

11th lunar month of 1766: Hikokurô played at the Kitagawa no Shibai the role of the shôya Kinbê in Tenmaya Kyûshichi's kaomise drama "Umayadogimi Shitennôji Kuyô", which was produced by Edosaka Kyôemon and celebrated the shûmei of Sakakiyama Sagisuke, Sakakiyama Koshirô III and Sakakiyama Shirotarô III.

1st lunar month of 1767: Hikokurô's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, dôkegata section, was jô-jô-(hanshiro)kichi (superior - superior - (half-white) excellent) [visual]. No record afterwards.

Comments:

Okada Hikokurô was quite a popular Kyôto dôkegata actor, who was active in Kamigata from the middle of the 1720s to the second half of the 1760s.

[1] Was Okada Hikokurô a disciple or had he a family relationship to the Kamigata Genroku actor Okada Sanzaemon? The question is still open. No answer so far.

Nakamura Kiyosaburô I (left) and Okada Hikokurô (right) playing the roles of Toyokatsu's wife Harukaze and the shôya Kinbê in Tenmaya Kyûshichi's kaomise drama "Umayadogimi Shitennôji Kuyô", which was staged in the 11th lunar month of 1766 at the Kitagawa no Shibai