Stage name:

Onoe Kumesuke

Guild: Yamatoya

Poetry name: Risei

Existence: 1748 ~ 11th day of the 12th lunar month of 1778^*

Connection:

Master: Onoe Kikugorô I

Brother: Onoe Montarô

Disciple: Onoe Kichitarô

Career:

1748: born in Kyôto.

1759: Kumesuke starts his career in Kyôto, where he performs as an iroko.

11th lunar month of 1767: Kumesuke and his brother Onoe Montarô produce at the Kitagawa no Shibai the kaomise drama "Daikokuten", which celebrates the shûmei of Bandô Yasuke and Bandô Sukesaburô II; Kumesuke becomes wakaonnagata and plays the role of Ichô-no-Mae.

8th lunar month of 1768: Kumesuke and his brother Onoe Montarô produce in the same theater the drama "Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura".

11th lunar month of 1768: Kumesuke produces in Kyôto the kaomise drama "Enmusubi Asahi no Shimadai".

11th lunar month of 1769: Kumesuke produces in Kyôto the kaomise drama "Asahimaru Genji Kagami".

9th lunar month of 1770: premiere at the Kitagawa no Shibai of the drama "Keisei Awa no Naruto", a revision of Chikamatsu Hanji's 1768 puppet drama "Keisei Awa no Naruto", which is produced by Kumesuke [more details].

11th lunar month of 1770: Kumesuke produces in Kyôto for the nadai Ebisuya Kichirôbê and Kameya Kumenojô the kaomise drama "Sakigake Yashima no Kachidoki".

Fall 1771: Kumesuke goes to Ôsaka.

11th lunar month of 1771: Kumesuke performs at the Kado no Shibai in the kaomise drama "Ganjitsu Eiga no Toshikoshi", which is produced by Ogawa Kichitarô I.

1st lunar month of 1772: Kumesuke's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, is jô-jô-(shiro)hankichi (superior - superior - (white) half excellent) [visual]. He shares the same rank as Sakakiyama Sengiku and Hanagiri Toyomatsu III.

15th day of the 5th lunar month of 1772: his elder brother Onoe Montarô dies.

11th lunar month of 1772: Kumesuke plays at the Kado no Shibai the role Fujifusa's sister Ayame in the kaomise drama "Hi-no-Moto Banzei no Hôrai", which is produced by Ogawa Kichitarô I; the role of Made-no-Kôji Fujifusa is played by Nakayama Raisuke I.

11th lunar month of 1773: Kumesuke plays at the Naka no Shibai the role of the keisei Otome in the kaomise drama "Itari Yaitari Mukadeyama", which is produced by Arashi Matsujirô I.

5th lunar month of 1774: Kumesuke plays in the same theater the role of Kagaribi in the drama "Ômi Genji Senjin Yakata".

9th lunar month of 1774: Kumesuke plays in the same theater the role of Sakuramaru's wife Yae in the drama "Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami"; the role of Sakuramaru is played by Fujikawa Ryûzô.

11th lunar month of 1774: Kumesuke plays at the Naka no Shibai the roles of Ise no Saburô's wife and Shizuka Gozen in the drama "Gosho Zakura Horikawa no Youchi", which is produced by Arashi Matsujirô I.

1st lunar month of 1775: Kumesuke's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, is jô-jô-(shiro)kichi (superior - superior - (white) excellent) [visual]. He shares the same rank as Mimasu Tokujirô I.

4th lunar month of 1775: premiere in Ôsaka at the Naka no Shibai of Nagawa Kamesuke I's drama "Hade Kurabe Ise Monogatari"; Kumesuke plays the roles of Princess Izutsu, Shinobu and Ikaruga's wife [more details].

11th lunar month of 1775: Kumesuke plays at the Naka no Shibai the role of Murinosuke's wife Hanabusa in the kaomise drama "Gohiiki Tenmokuzan", which is produced by Mimasu Matsunojô and welcomes in Ôsaka the actor Sawamura Sôjûrô III.

12th lunar month of 1775: Kumesuke plays in the same theater the roles of Okaru and Osono in the drama "Kanadehon Chûshingura".

1st lunar month of 1776: Kumesuke's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, is jô-jô-(hanshiro)kichi (superior - superior - (half-white) excellent) [visual]. He shares the same rank as Mimasu Tokujirô I and Hanagiri Toyomatsu III.

4th lunar month of 1776: Kumesuke plays in the same theater the role of Onaka in the drama "Natsu Matsuri Naniwa Kagami".

7th lunar month of 1776: Kumesuke plays in the same theater the roles of Kiku-no-Mae and Sagami in the drama "Ichi-no-Tani Futaba Gunki".

8th lunar month of 1776: Kumesuke plays in the same theater the role of Shigenoi in the drama "Koi Nyôbô Somewake Tazuna".

10th lunar month of 1776: Kumesuke plays in the same theater the roles of Oroku and Sahei's wife in the drama "Oriawase Tsuzure no Nishiki".

11th lunar month of 1776: Kumesuke plays at the Naka no Shibai the role of Reizei in the kaomise drama "Genji Saikô Uchide no Kozuchi", which is produced by Arashi Shichisaburô II.

12th lunar month of 1776: premiere at the Naka no Shibai of Nagawa Kamesuke I's drama "Igagoe Norikake Gappa"; Kumesuke plays the roles of Osono and Busuke's wife [casting].

4th lunar month of 1777: premiere in Ôsaka at the Naka no Shibai of Nagawa Kamesuke I's drama "Meiboku Sendai Hagi"; Kumesuke plays the role of the courtesan Takao [casting].

10th lunar month of 1777: Kumesuke plays in the same theater the role of the koshimoto Nureginu in the drama "Honchô Nijûshikô".

Fall 1777: Kumesuke goes to Kyôto but he falls ill and has to stop acting.

11th day of the 12th lunar month of 1778^*: Kumesuke dies.

Comments:

Onoe Kumesuke was a Kyôto wakaonnagata who achieved fame for himself in Ôsaka during the 1770s. He had the opportunity to perform several roles, which are now considered as important roles for onnagata actors, like Okaru ("Kanadehon Chûshingura"), Sagami ("Ichi-no-Tani Futaba Gunki"), Shigenoi ("Koi Nyôbô Somewake Tazuna"), Kagaribi ("Ômi Genji Senjin Yakata") or Nureginu ("Honchô Nijûshikô").

(*) in fact the 11th day of the 12th lunar month of the 7th year of the An'ei era, which was the 28th of January 1779 in the western calendar.

Onoe Kumesuke (left) and Nakayama Raisuke I (right) playing the roles of Fujifusa's sister Ayame and Made-no-Kôji Fujifusa in the kaomise drama "Hi-no-Moto Banzei no Hôrai", which was staged in the 11th lunar month of 1772 at the Kado no Shibai