Stage names:

Arashi Matsunojô III
Arashi Yaezô [1]

Line number: SANDAIME (III)

Existence: 1740 ^[2] ~ 8th day of the 7th lunar month of 1765 ^[5]

Connection:

Masters: Arashi San'emon IV, Arashi Shinpei I

Career:

Born in 1740 ^[2]. Disciple of Arashi Shinpei I and Arashi San'emon IV, his first stage name was Arashi Yaezô ^[1] and he made his first appearance on stage in the 1st lunar month of 1752 in Ôsaka.

10th day of the 7th lunar month of 1754 ^[1]: his master Arashi Shinpei I died in Ôsaka.

22nd of the 4th lunar month of 1756 ^[4]: his master Arashi San'emon IV died in Ôsaka.

11th lunar month of 1758: he took the name of Arashi Matsunojô III in Ôsaka at the Kado no Shibai, performing in Namiki Shôzô I's kaomise drama "Arigatashi Fujiwara Keizu", which was produced by Nakayama Bunshichi I.

12th lunar month of 1758: premiere at the Kado no Shibai of Namiki Shôzô I's ni-no-kawari drama "Sanjikkoku Yofune no Hajimari"; for the very first time in Kabuki history, a mawari-butai, invented by Namiki Shôzô I, was built and used on the stage of a theater [more details]; Matsunojô played the role of Mojibê's granddaughter Omatsu.

11th lunar month of 1759: Matsunojô played at the Kado no Shibai the role of Kiichi's daughter Princess Minazuru in Namiki Shôzô I's kaomise drama "Saiwai Genji Chôkyû no Maki", which was produced by Nakayama Bunshichi I, celebrated the comeback in Kamigata of Nakamura Tomijûrô I and the shûmei of Arashi Koisa II.

11th lunar month of 1760: Matsunojô played at the Kado no Shibai the role of Princess Hanamitsu in Namiki Shôzô I's kaomise drama "Ikinyorai Kogane no Kaomise", which was produced by Nakayama Bunshichi I.

11th lunar month of 1761: Matsunojô played at the Kado no Shibai the role of Princess Hanazuru in the kaomise drama "Sôtsui Hoshi Kamakura Kagami", which was produced by Nakayama Bunshichi I.

Fall 1762: Matsunojô went to Kyôto.

11th lunar month of 1762: Matsunojô played at the Minamigawa no Shibai the role of the keisei Hatsubana in the kaomise drama "Tenka Taihei Kogane no Kurairi", which was produced by Onoe Montarô and Sawamura Kunitarô I.

1st lunar month of 1763: Matsunojô played in the same theater the role of Managoya Okiyo in the new year ni-no-kawari drama "Keisei Mitsunoyama".

11th lunar month of 1763: Matsunojô became zamoto and produced at the Minamigawa no Shibai Sakurato Bunsaku's kaomise drama "Hôraisan Hatsuhi no Kachidoki", in which he played the role of Princess Tsukimitsu.

1st lunar month of 1764: Matsunojô produced in the same theater Namiki Shôzô I's ni-no-kawari drama "Keisei Hana no Shiroyama", in which he played the roles of the Okazaki fox Otatsu and Tamagawa no Oito.

11th lunar month of 1764: Matsunojô produced in Kyôto at the Kitagawa no Shibai Namiki Shôzô I's kaomise drama "Genpei Tsûrikimaru", which celebrated the shûmei of Iwai Hanshirô and in which he played the role of Kinugasa.

1st lunar month of 1765: Matsunojô's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, was jô-jô-(shiro)hankichi (superior - superior - (white) half excellent) [visual].

2nd lunar month of 1765: Matsunojô produced in the same theater the new year ni-no-kawari drama "Keisei Kuruwa no Hanayose", in which he played the roles of the kôshitsu Kagetsuin and the keisei Takamado. This was most likely his last appearance on stage.

3rd lunar month of 1765: Matsunojô's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, was jô-jô-(shiro)kichi (superior - superior - (white) excellent) [visual].

8th day of the 7th lunar month of 1765 ^[5]: Matsunojô died in Kyôto.

Comments:

Arashi Matsunojô III was a promising Kamigata wakaonnagata actor, who was active from the beginning of the 1750s to the second half of the 1760s. He unfortunately died too young.

[1] Nakamura Yaezô in the latest edition (2012) of "Kabuki Haiyû Meiseki Benran".

[2] 1740 in Nojima Jusaburô's book "Kabuki Jinmei Jiten" and in the 3rd volume of "Kabuki Nenpyô". It was recorded as 1744 in the latest edition (2012) of "Kabuki Haiyû Meiseki Benran".

[3] The 10th day of the 7th lunar month of the 4th year of the Hôreki era was the 27th of August 1754 in the western calendar.

[4] The 22nd of the 4th lunar month of the 6th year of the Hôreki era was the 20th of May 1756 in the western calendar.

[5] The 8th day of the 7th lunar month of the 2nd year of the Meiwa era was the 24th of August 1765 in the western calendar. In the latest edition (2012) of "Kabuki Haiyû Meiseki Benran", it was recorded as the 8th day of the 7th lunar month of the 6th year of the Meiwa era.

Sakurayama Shirosaburô II (left), Arashi Matsunojô III (center) and Yamanaka Heijûrô II (right) playing the roles of the Rokujô fox Sakon, the Okazaki fox Otatsu and Ishida Kenmotsu in Namiki Shôzô I's new year ni-no-kawari drama "Keisei Hana no Shiroyama", which was staged in the 1st lunar month of 1764 in Kyôto at the Minamigawa no Shibai

The Arashi Matsunojô line of actors