Pen name: Matsuda Hyakka

Poetry name: Hyakka

Existence: ??? ~ 1764 (?)

Connection:

Master: Matsushima Hanshichi II

Brothers: Matsuya Raisuke I, Izumikawa Sennosuke

Disciple: Matsushima Sakuya II (?)

Career:

Before 1711: he becomes disciple of Matsushima Hanshichi II, receives the name of Matsushima Hyôtarô and is trained to be a wakaonnagata actor.

Winter 1711 (1st lunar month?): Hyôtarô's name appears for the first time on the Kabuki playbill of a major theater; he plays the role of Sakura no Naishi in the drama "Onna Shôjô", which is produced in Ôsaka by Arashi San'emon III.

11th lunar month of 1717: Hyôtarô plays in Ôsaka at the Higashi no Shibai the role of Hikokurô's nyôbô Fujinami in the kaomise drama "Meryû Oryû Kogane no Uroko", which is produced by Arashi San'emon III.

1st lunar month of 1720: first Kabuki adaptation of Chikamatsu Monzaemon's puppet theater drama "Heike Nyogo no Shima", which is produced by Takeshima Kôzaemon II in Ôsaka at the Naka no Shibai; Hyôtarô plays the role of Chidori [casting].

11th lunar month of 1720: Hyôtarô plays at the Kado no Shibai the role of Princess Kameyo [illustration] in the kaomise drama "Hana Yakata Chibikizuru", which is produced by Kirinoya Gonjûrô I.

11th lunar month of 1722: Hyôtarô plays at the Kado no Shibai the role of Giô in the kaomise drama "Shingoten Aioi no Komatsu", which is produced by Arashi San'emon III.

12th lunar month of 1722: first Kabuki adaptation of Chikamatsu Monzaemon's puppet theater drama "Nebiki no Kadomatsu", which was originally written in the 1st lunar month of 1718. The play is staged in Ôsaka at the Kado no Shibai under the new title "Yamazaki Yojibê Hanchû Bushi"; Hyôtarô plays the role of the courtesan Fujiya Azuma [casting].

11th lunar month of 1723: Hyôtarô becomes zamoto and produces at the Naka no Shibai the kaomise drama "Chûshin Futaba no Matsu", which celebrates the shûmei of Nakayama Shinkurô I.

Fall 1724: Hyôtarô goes to Edo.

11th lunar month of 1724: Hyôtarô plays at the Ichimuraza the role of Chitose in the kaomise drama "Bankoku Taiheiki"; his stage partners are Ichikawa Danzô I, Tomizawa Hanzaburô I, Ogino Izaburô I, Nakamura Kichibê I, Ogawa Zengorô I, Sodesaki Miwano I, Mimasuya Sukejûrô I, Fujimura Handayû II, Nakajima Mihoemon I and Kamakura Chôkurô II.

1st lunar month of 1725: Hyôtarô's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, is jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual].

5th lunar month of 1725: Hyôtarô plays in the same theater the role of the courtesan Katsuragi in a great "Sayaate" scene; the roles of Fuwa Banzaemon and Nagoya Sanza are played by Tomizawa Hanzaburô I and Sawamura Sôjûrô I, who has just joined the Ichimuraza.

Fall 1725: Hyôtarô goes back to Ôsaka.

11th lunar month of 1725: Hyôtarô plays at the Ônishi no Shibai the role of Azuma in kaomise drama "Gokoku Jôju Naniwa no Yakata".

1st lunar month of 1726: Hyôtarô's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, is jô-jô-(shiro)kichi (superior - superior - (white) excellent) [visual].

Fall 1726: Hyôtarô goes to Kyôto.

11th lunar month of 1726: Hyôtarô becomes zamoto and produces at Kameya Kumenojô's theater (Kyôto) the kaomise drama "Karanishiki Imose no Shitone", in which he plays the role of Todoroki Kôemon's sister Tokoyo; the role of Kôemon is played by Anegawa Shinshirô I.

1st lunar month of 1731: Hyôtarô plays in Kyôto at Kameya Kumenojô's theater the role of Kazuki no Oman in the new year ni-no-kawari "Keisei Mikasayama".

11th lunar month of 1737: Hyôtarô plays at the Naka no Shibai in the kaomise drama "Fukakusa-no-In Sannô no Maki", which is produced by Nakayama Shinkurô I.

8th lunar month of 1738: Hyôtarô plays in the same theater the role of Kuzu-no-Ha in the drama "Shinoda-zuma"; the roles of Abe no Yasuna and Ashiya Dôman are played by Arashi San'emon III and Fujikawa Hanzaburô II.

11th lunar month of 1738: Hyôtarô moves to the Kado no Shibai and plays the role of the keisei Inaba in the kaomise drama "Sanpukutsui Kogane no Ichigura", which is produced by Nakamura Jûzô I.

1st lunar month of 1739: Hyôtarô's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, is finally back to jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent).

Fall 1739: Hyôtarô goes to Kyôto.

11th lunar month of 1739: Hyôtarô plays in the kaomise drama "Senzai Yakata Kogane no Shikigawara", which is produced by Arashi Koroku I.

1st lunar month of 1740: Hyôtarô's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, is jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual]. He is the kanjiku for wakaonnagata actors.

11th lunar month of 1741: Hyôtarô plays at the Kado no Shibai the role of Komatsu in the kaomise drama "Kogane no Yakata Bandai no Kame", which is produced by Fujikawa Kamenoi.

1747: tour in Ise and Nagoya.

1751: he becomes playwright in Ôsaka, using the pen name Matsuda Hyakka.

1st lunar month of 1758: first Kabuki adaptation of the 5-act maruhonmono drama "Hime Komatsu Ne-no-Hi no Asobi" in Ôsaka at the Naka no Shibai; Hyakka not only worked on it as a sakusha but he also exceptionally performed on stage, under his usual name of Matsushima Hyôtarô, playing the role of Azumaya's mother [casting]. He also changes the writing of the first name of his pen name:

You need a Japanese Language Kit installed within your system in order to be able to read the characters

7th lunar month of 1762: he takes part as an assistant playwright in the production of Namiki Shôzô I's drama "Shippei Tarô Kaidanki", which is staged at the Kado no Shibai.

Comments:

Matsushima Hyôtarô was a wakaonnagata, who made his career from the beginning of the 1710s to the beginning of the 1760s. He performed mainly in Kamigata and excelled in sewa nyôbô roles. He made a short and very successful season in Edo in 1724~1725, which led to the creation of many prints. He became playwright at the end of his career but did not take part in the creation of any major work. He most likely died in 1764.

Matsushima Hyôtarô

Prints & Illustrations

Print made by Torii Kiyomasu in the 1720s