MATSUMOTO KINSHÔ I

Stage names:

Matsumoto Kinshô I
Matsumoto Kôshirô VI
Ichikawa Komazô V
Matsumoto Kinshi

Guild: Kôraiya

Line number: SHODAI (I)

Poetry names: Kinshô, Kinshi

Existence: 1812 ~ 3rd day of the 11th lunar month of 1849^[1]

Connection:

Grandfather: Matsumoto Kôshirô IV

Father: Matsumoto Kôshirô V

Career:

1812 ~ 1817: born in Edo. Son of Matsumoto Kôshirô V, who gave him the name of Matsumoto Kinshi.

8th lunar month of 1817: Matsumoto Kinshi took the name of Ichikawa Komazô V.

9th lunar month of 1819: first adaptation to Kabuki (in ôshibai!) of the drama "Seishû Akogi-ga-Ura"; Komazô played the role of Heiji's son Tomoishi [casting].

7th lunar month of 1822: premiere at the Kawarasakiza of Tsuruya Nanboku IV's drama "Reigen Kameyama Hoko"; Komazô played the role of Ishii Gennojô's son Ishii Genjirô [more details].

1st lunar month of 1825: premiere at the Nakamuraza of Tsuruya Nanboku IV's new year sogamono drama "Okuni-iri Soga Nakamura"; Komazô played the role of kamuro Chidori (in reality Gosho no Goromaru Fuyuyasu) [casting].

11th lunar month of 1829: premiere at the Nakamuraza of Tsuruya Nanboku IV's drama "Kin no Zai Sarushima Dairi"; Komazô played the roles of Usui Aradôji and the hinin Tsunagorô [more details].

6th lunar month of 1834: Komazô played at the Nakamuraza the role of Tamiya Iemon in the drama "Tôkaidô Yotsuya Kaidan".

11th lunar month of 1835: Komazô played at the Nakamuraza the role of Umeômaru in the classic "Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami"; his stage partners were Matsumoto Kôshirô V (Shihei), Ichikawa Yaozô V (Sakuramaru) and Ichimura Uzaemon XII ( Matsuômaru).

10th day of the 5th lunar month of 1838^[2]: his father Matsumoto Kôshirô V died.

3rd lunar month of 1844: Ichikawa Komazô V and Ichikawa Shinnosuke III respectively took the names of Matsumoto Kôshirô VI and Ichikawa Komazô VII at the Nakamuraza, performing together in the drama "Sugata no Hana Yayoi no Kagamiyama"^[3].

7th lunar month of 1844: Kôshirô played at the Nakamuraza the role of Naosuke Gonbê in the drama "Mukashi Mukashi Oiwa no Kaidan", whose plot and characters were similar to "Tôkaidô Yotsuya Kaidan".

11th lunar month of 1846: Matsumoto Kôshirô VI took the name of Matsumoto Kinshô I at the Kawarasakiza, performing in the drama "Ichi-no-Tani Yukimi no Takadono".

4th lunar month of 1847: premiere at the Kawarasakiza of the dance-drama "Shiki no Hina Asakusa Hakkei" (commonly called "Kyô Ningyô"); Kinshô played the role of Jingorô's wife Otoku [casting].

4th lunar month of 1849: Kinshô appeared on stage for the last time, at the Nakamuraza, where he played the roles of Nikki Danjô and Arajishi Otokonosuke in the drama "Date Zensei Sakura no Iromaku", whose plot and characters belonged to the "Meiboku Sendai Hagi" world.

3rd day of the 11th lunar month of 1849^[1]: Kinshô died in Edo.

Comments:

Matsumoto Kinshô I was a promising tachiyaku actor, especially in jitsuaku roles. As far as art was concerned, he followed the same path as his father Matsumoto Kôshirô V but he prematurely died, before creating anything of his own. He unfortunately confirmed the old Edo adage that it was difficult for a prestigious house to survive beyond three generations: Matsumoto Kinshô, son of Matsumoto Kôshirô V, grandson of Matsumoto Kôshirô IV, had no heir when he passed away.

[1] The 3rd day of the 11th lunar month of the 2nd year of the Kaei era was the 17th of December 1849 in the western calendar.

[2] The 10th day of the 5th lunar month of the 9th year of the Tenpô era was the 1st of July 1838 in the western calendar.

[3] It was also the shûmei of Iwai Hanshirô VII.

Matsumoto Kinshô I playing the role of Nikki Danjô in the drama "Date Zensei Sakura no Iromaku", which was staged in the 4th lunar month of 1849 at the Nakamuraza (print made by Utagawa Toyokuni III)

Prints & Illustrations

Print made by Utagawa Kunisada in 1834

Print made by Utagawa Toyokuni in 1849

Print made by Utagawa Kunisada in 1849

The Ichikawa Komazô line of actors

The Matsumoto Kôshirô line of actors