Stage names:

Matsumoto Kôshirô I
Matsumoto Koshirô
Hisamatsu Koshirô

Guild: Yamatoya

Line number: SHODAI (I)

Poetry names: Omegawa, Omigawa

Existence: 1674 ~ 25th day of the 3rd lunar month of 1730 ^[1]

Connections:

Master: Hisamatsu Tashirô

Adopted son: Matsumoto Kôshirô II (Ichikawa Danjûrô IV)

Career:

1674 ~ 1694: born in the province of Shimôsa. He started his career at an unknown date as a disciple of the actor Hisamatsu Tashirô, who gave him the name of Hisamatsu Koshirô and trained him in wakaonnagata roles.

1694: he took the name of Matsumoto Koshirô and performed wakashugata roles.

1699: Koshirô became tachiyaku and started to act in the aragoto style, created by the Edo star Ichikawa Danjûrô I.

11th lunar month of 1706: Koshirô achieved a great success at the Nakamuraza by playing the role of Hayata in the kaomise drama "Uji Genji Yumihari-zuki".

11th lunar month of 1708: Koshirô played at the Ichimuraza the role of Shinozuka Gorô in the kaomise drama "Shusse Taiheiki". Koshirô also cofinanced with Ichimura Takenojô IV the erection of a commemorative stone dedicated to the Soga brothers in the precinct of the Komagome Fuji Shrine.

11th lunar month of 1710: Koshirô played at the Ichimuraza the role of Ômori Hikoshichi in the kaomise drama "Shusse Taiheiki", which celebrated the shûmei of Takii Hanshirô and welcomed in Edo the Kamigata actor Kirinami Takie.

3rd lunar month of 1711: Koshirô's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô-(hanshiro)kichi (superior - superior - (half-white) excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1711: Koshirô played at the Nakamuraza the role of Aoto Saemon in the kaomise drama "Mitsu Uroko Katoku Biraki".

3rd lunar month of 1712: Koshirô's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual].

1st lunar month of 1713: Koshirô played at the Ichimuraza the role of Watanabe Minbu Hayatomo in the new year drama "Taihei Onna Imagawa".

11th lunar month of 1713: Koshirô played at the Nakamuraza the role of Kuryû Saemon in the kaomise drama "Onna Kusunoki Taiheiki".

11th lunar month of 1714: Koshirô played at the Ichimuraza the role of Ômori Hikoshichi in the kaomise drama "Enman Taiheiki", which welcomed in Edo the actor Wakabayashi Shirogorô; his main stage partners were Ichikawa Danzô I, Ichimura Takenojô IV, Hayakawa Dengorô, Asao Jûjirô I, Yamashita Karumo and Mimasuya Sukejûrô I.

11th lunar month of 1715: Koshirô played at the Ichimuraza the role of Aoto Saemon Fujitsuna in the kaomise drama "Banzei Onna Hachinoki".

5th lunar month of 1716: a son of the Shôgun received the same first name as the actor; Koshirô has to change his first name to Kôshirô:

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

11th lunar month of 1716: Koshirô played at the Moritaza the role of Ukishima Danjô in the kaomise drama "Yomeiri Miyako no Tsunagi Uma".

2nd lunar month of 1717: Koshirô played in the same theater the role of Awazu Rokurô in the new year drama "Meiken Sumidagawa".

5th lunar month of 1717: Chikamatsu Monzaemon's masterpiece "Kokusen'ya Gassen" was produced simultaneously in the 3 Edo Kabuki theaters. This was the first Kabuki adaptation of a puppet theater play in Edo. It was produced at the Moritaza under the title "Kokusen'ya Gojitsu Gassen"; Kôshirô played the role of Watônai [more details].

11th lunar month of 1717: Kôshirô achieved a great success at the Nakamuraza by playing the role of Aoto Saemon Fujitsuna in the kaomise drama "Hachinoki Hônen Mitsugimono".

11th lunar month of 1718: Koshirô played at the Moritaza the role of Kamakura Gongorô Kagemasa in the kaomise drama "Zenkunen Yoroi Kurabe"; his stage partners were Sawamura Sôjûrô, Ôtani Hiroemon I, Mizuki Takejûrô, Tomizawa Hanzaburô I, Ichikawa Monnosuke I, Asao Jûjirô I and Tamazawa Rin'ya.

11th lunar month of 1719: Koshirô played at the Ichimuraza the role of Ôe no Saemon [illustration] in the kaomise drama "Tategami Teika Kazura", which celebrated the shûmei of Tsuruya Nanboku I and Nanboku Magotarô II.

1st lunar month of 1720: Koshirô played in the same theater the roles of Oniô Shinzaemon and Aburaya Kizaemon in the new year sogamono drama "Kamanari Nigiwai Soga".

11th lunar month of 1720: Koshirô played at the Ichimuraza the role of Watanabe Minbu Hayatomo [illustration] in the kaomise drama "Kodakara Imagawajô", which celebrated the shûmei of Yamanaka Takejûrô.

1st lunar month of 1721: Koshirô played in the same theater the role of Oniô Shinzaemon in the new year sogamono drama "Tsurukame Wakayagi Soga"; the roles of Kudô Saemon Suketsune, Soga Jûrô Sukenari and Soga Gorô Tokimune were played by Yamanaka Takejûrô, Sawamura Sôjûrô I and Ichimura Takenojô IV.

11th lunar month of 1721: Kôshirô played at the Ichimuraza the role of Niô no Saburô [illustration] in the kaomise drama "Kichirei Imagawajô".

11th lunar month of 1722: Kôshirô played at the Ichimuraza the role of Kawazu Saburô in the kaomise drama "Hinazuru Katoku Soga".

1st lunar month of 1723 Kôshirô played in the same theater the role of Oniô Shinzaemon in the new year sogamono drama "Manazuru Kazô Soga"; the roles of Kudô Saemon Suketsune and Soga Jûrô Sukenari were played by Yamanaka Heikurô I and Sawamura Sôjûrô I.

11th lunar month of 1723: Kôshirô played at the Nakamuraza the role of Aoto Saemon Fujitsuna in the kaomise drama "Sono Enpô Onna Migyôsho", which celebrated the arrival at the Nakamuraza of the Kamigata actors Yamashita Kinsaku I and Sanogawa Senzô.

1st lunar month of 1724: Kôshirô played in the same theater the role of the farmer Yajihei, in reality Aoto Saemon Fujitsuna, in the new year drama "Matsu Kazari Kamakura Biraki".

3rd lunar month of 1724: Kôshirô played in the same theater the role of Awazu Rokurô in the drama "Irifune Sumidagawa".

11th lunar month of 1724: Kôshirô played at the Nakamuraza the role of Akamatsu Mushanosuke in the kaomise program "Taiheiki Okuni Kabuki"; his main stage partners were Ichikawa Danjûrô II, Sawamura Sôjûrô I, Yamashita Kinsaku I and Ichikawa Monnosuke I.

11th lunar month of 1725: Kôshirô played at the Nakamuraza the role of Gotô Saemon in the kaomise drama "Oguri Chôseiden", whose plot and characters belonged to the "Oguri Hangan" world.

1st lunar month of 1726: Kôshirô played at the Nakamuraza the role of Sakata Kintoki in the new year drama "Kadomatsu Shitennô", which commemorated the 23rd memorial service (22nd anniversary) of the passing away of Ichikawa Danjûrô I.

11th lunar month of 1726: Kôshirô played at the Nakamuraza the role of Wada Saemon Tamemune in the kaomise drama "Kaomise Jûnidan".

1st lunar month of 1727: Kôshirô played in the same theater the role of Oniô Shinzaemon in the new year sogamono "Yuzuriha Gongen Soga"; the roles of Kudô Saemon Suketsune, Soga Jûrô Sukenari and Soga Gorô Tokimune were played by Tomizawa Hanzaburô I, Sawamura Sôjûrô I and Ichikawa Danjûrô II.

11th lunar month of 1727: Kôshirô played at the Nakamuraza the role of Saitô Tarô Saemon in the kaomise drama "Yatsumune Taiheiki" [more details], which welcomed back in Edo the actor Ôtani Hiroji I (along with the Kamigata actor Kirinami Onoe) and celebrated the first stage appearance of Ichikawa Masugorô.

1st lunar month of 1728: Kôshirô played in the same theater the role of Oniô Shinzaemon in the new year sogamono "Soga Hôraisan"; the roles of Kudô Saemon Suketsune, Soga Jûrô Sukenari and Soga Gorô Tokimune were played by Ogawa Zengorô I, Sawamura Sôjûrô I and Ichikawa Danjûrô II.

11th lunar month of 1728: Kôshirô played at the Ichimuraza the role of Kusunoki Tamonbyôe Masashige in the kaomise drama "Kikusui Yoshino no Dairi".

1st lunar month of 1729: Kôshirô played in the same theater the role of Oniô Shinzaemon in the new year sogamono drama "Mayuzumi Yôrô Soga"; the roles of Kudô Saemon Suketsune, Soga Jûrô Sukenari and Soga Gorô Tokimune were played by Nakajima Mihoemon I, Bandô Hikosaburô I and Ichimura Takenojô IV.

11th lunar month of 1729: Kôshirô appeared on stage for the last time, in Edo at the Ichimuraza, where he played the role of Shiraga Kintoki in the drama "Chôseiden Shiraga Kintoki".

25th day of the 3rd lunar month of 1730 ^[1]: Kôshirô died in Edo.

Comments:

Matsumoto Kôshirô I was an outstanding aragotoshi and jitsugotoshi of the first third of the eighteenth century. He was ranked jô-jô-kichi in Edo for 14 seasons.

"He came to Edo from Shimôsa province, and was at first an onnagata, but later changed to tateyaku. He belonged to Danjûrô's aragoto, or rough-acting school, inherited from the brave balladry of early Edo Jôruri, and is even said to have rivalled Danjûrô in the art of the unreal. In middle age he shaved his head as a sign of retirement from active life" (Zoë Kincaid in "Kabuki, the Popular Stage of Japan")

[1] The 25th day of the 3rd lunar month of the 15th year of the Kyôhô era was the 11th of May 1730 in the western calendar.

The actors Ichikawa Danjûrô II, Matsumoto Kôshirô I and Yamashita Kinsaku I playing the roles of Sano Genzaemon Tsuneyo, Aoto Saemon Fujitsuna and Naniwazu in the drama "Sono Enpô Onna Migyôsho", which was staged at the Nakamuraza in the 11th lunar month of 1723 (print made by Torii Kiyomasu II)

Prints & Illustrations

The Matsumoto Kôshirô line of actors