KANEKO KICHIZAEMON

Stage name:

Kaneko Kichizaemon In Japanese

Other name:

Kaneko Ikkô In Japanese

Poetry name: Ikkô

Existence: ??? ~ 11th day of the 9th lunar month of 1728 [1]

Connections:

Master: Kaneko Rokuemon

Career:

1688: Kichizaemon played in Kyôto at Miyako Mandayû's theater the role of Senma in the drama "Ôkumagawa Genzaemon".

1689: Kichizaemon performed in Kyôto in the drama "Waka no Ura Katao Nami".

3rd lunar month of 1693: the first drama written by the playwright Chikamatsu Monzaemon for the star Sakata Tôjûrô I was performed in Kyôtô at Miyako Mandayû's theater. The play's title was "Butsumo Mayasan Kaichô" and the others actors in the casting were Yamashita Hanzaemon I, Yoshizawa Ayame, Kirinami Senju I, Iwai Heijirô and Kichizaemon.

1695: Kichizaemon's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, dôkegata section, was (superior) [visual].

7th lunar month of 1698: Kichizaemon played in Kyôtô at Miyako Mandayû's theater the role of Tokuzô in Chikamatsu Monzaemon's drama "Isshin Niga Byakudô".

1st lunar month of 1699: Kichizaemon's rank in the Kyôtô hyôbanki, dôkegata section, was jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual].

1st lunar month of 1701: Kichizaemon performed in Kyôto at Miyako Mandayû's theater in the dramas "Onzoshi Hatsutora Mairi" and "Keisei Fuji Miru Sato" which were produced by Kokon Shinzaemon.

11th lunar month of 1701: Kichizaemon wrote with Chikamatsu Monzaemon the drama "Ima Komachi Eiga Guruma", which was staged in Kyôto at Miyako Mandayû's theater, which was produced by Arashi San'emon II and in which he played the role of Gorakubô.

1st lunar month of 1702: premiere in Kyôto at Miyako Mandayû's theater of Chikamatsu Monzaemon's drama "Keisei Mibu Dainenbutsu", which was produced by Kokon Shinzaemon; Kichizaemon played the role of the ahô Chôbê.

11th lunar month of 1704: Kichizaemon played at Miyako Mandayû's theater the role of the ahô Manroku in Chikamatsu Monzaemon's kaomise drama "Kisshô Tennyo Anzan no Tama".

1st lunar month of 1712: Kichizaemon played in Kyôto at Ebisuya Shôdayû's theater the role of Saizô in the drama "Onna Wankyû", which was produced by Yoshizawa Ayame I.

Fall 1712: Kichizaemon went to Ôsaka.

11th lunar month of 1712: Kichizaemon became tachiyaku and played the role of Asakura Kin'emon in the kaomise drama "Mikawa no Kuni Yatsuhashi no Kura Saiwai Chôja", which was produced by Arashi Sanjûrô I at Shioya Kuroemon's theater.

1st lunar month of 1713: Kichizaemon's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was (superior) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1713: Kichizaemon played the role of Rokurô Saemon in the kaomise drama "Yoyo Meoto Tsuru no Mago", which was produced by Arashi Sanjûrô I at Shioya Kuroemon's theater.

1st lunar month of 1714: Kichizaemon's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô-(shiro)kichi (superior - superior - (white) excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1714: Kichizaemon played in Ôsaka the role of Mikazuki Tairanosuke in the kaomise drama "Daikoku Shinmai Dawara", which was produced by Anegawa Shinshirô I.

11th lunar month of 1716: Kichizaemon played at the Ônishi no Shibai the role of Kinsuke in the kaomise drama "Kogane no Ichigura", which was produced by Sawamura Sôjûrô.

1st lunar month of 1717: Kichizaemon's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1717: Kichizaemon played at the Naka no Shibai the role of Kinbê in the kaomise drama "Inari Yashiki Daikoku Bashira", which was produced by Sawamura Chôjûrô I.

12th lunar month of 1717: Kichizaemon played in the same theater the role of Yohê in the kiri kyôgen "Ôsaka Shinjû Hajimari" [2].

1st lunar month of 1718: Kichizaemon's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was back to jô-jô-(shiro)kichi (superior - superior - (white) excellent).

Fall 1718: Kichizaemon went back to Kyôto after 6 seasons spent in Ôsaka.

11th lunar month of 1718: Kichizaemon played at Miyako Mandayû's theater in Sadoshima Saburôzaemon's kaomise drama "Meoto Matsu Jufuku no Kodane"; his stage partners were Otowa Jirosaburô I, Mihogi Gizaemon I, Bandô Hikosaburô I, Hyakuninshu Genzaburô, Miyazaki Giheita, Yamamoto Kamon, Tamagawa Genzaburô and Yamashita Kamenojô I.

1st lunar month of 1719: Kichizaemon's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô-(shiro)kichi (superior - superior - (white) excellent) [visual].

Fall 1719: Kichizaemon went to Ôsaka.

11th lunar month of 1719: Kichizaemon became zamoto and produced at the Ônishi no Shibai the kaomise drama "Kogane no Mitsu Gashiwa".

1st lunar month of 1720: Kichizaemon's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1720: Kichizaemon moved to the Kado no Shibai and played the role of Kingobê in the kaomise drama "Hana Yakata Chibikizuru", which was produced by Kirinoya Gonjûrô I.

1st lunar month of 1721: Kichizaemon's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was back to jô-jô-(hanshiro)kichi (superior - superior - (half-white) excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1723: Kichizaemon played at the Naka no Shibai the role of Jizai Gitsune [3] in the kaomise drama "Chûshin Futaba no Matsu", which was produced by Matsushima Hyôtarô.

11th lunar month of 1725: Kichizaemon wrote and performed in the kaomise drama "Wagô no Futabashira", which was produced by Arashi San'emon III at the Kado no Shibai.

1st lunar month of 1728: Kichizaemon wrote and performed in the drama "Atomeron Keizu no Hakozaki", which was produced by Arashi Sanjûrô I at the Kado no Shibai.

11th day of the 9th lunar month of 1728 [1]: Kichizaemon died in Ôsaka.

Comments:

Kaneko Kichizaemon was an outstanding dôkegata actor in Kamigata from the Genroku period to the Kyôhô era, excelling in fool (ahô) roles. He decided to switch to tachiyaku roles from the 11th lunar month of 1712. He was also an important playwright, who was, along with Tominaga Heibê, a disciple of Kaneko Rokuemon and collaborated with Chikamatsu Monzaemon. When Chikamatsu Monzaemon left the Kabuki world to write for the puppet theater, Kaneko Kichizaemon became the favourite playwright of the star Sakata Tôjûrô I. "Kichizaemon worshipped the great actor for whom he wrote, and put down his sayings about the theatre and his art as though they were oracles". Kaneko Kichizaemon wrote two books, called "Nijinshû", (literally "Collection of the Ears Dust"), a collection of actors stories, mainly Sakata Tôjûrô I's words and pieces of advice on his art. It is worthy of note that Kichizaemon "was criticised adversely because he made his own part prominent in the plays he wrote"
The 2 sentences within double quotes are from Zoë Kincaid in "Kabuki, the Popular Stage of Japan".

[1] The 11th day of the 9th lunar month of the 13th year of the Kyôhô era was the 13th of October 1728 in the western calendar.

[2] This drama was a shinjûmono based on the story of Chôemon and his lover Ichinojô. The 17th day of the 5th lunar month of the 3rd year of the Tenna era (the 11th of June 1683 in the western calendar), the courtesan Yamatoya Ichinojô and her lover Goze no Chôemon committed suicide together in Ôsaka. This event caused quite a stir and three Ôsaka theaters decided to capitalize on the situation by simultaneously producing the same month the first shinjûmono of Kabuki history.

[3] A fox (kitsune) disguised as a human being.

Kaneko Kichizaemon

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