Stage names:

Onoe Shôroku I
Onoe Matsusuke I
Onoe Tokuzô

Guild: Otowaya

Line number: SHODAI (I)

Poetry names: Jusen, Sanchô, Shôroku

Existence: 1744 ~ 16th day of the 10th lunar month of 1815 ^[1]

Connections:

Master: Onoe Kikugorô I

Adopted son: Onoe Kikugorô III

Career:

1744: born in Edo. He became a disciple of the actor Onoe Kikugorô I at an unknown date.

11th lunar month of 1755: he made his first appearance on stage, in Edo at the Ichimuraza, where he received the name of Onoe Tokuzô.

11th lunar month of 1764: Onoe Tokuzô became wakaonnagata and took the name of Onoe Matsusuke I at the Ichimuraza.

11th lunar month of 1766: Matsusuke became tateonnagata at the Moritaza.

11th lunar month of 1768: Matsusuke played at the Moritaza the role of Tsutaya no Omatsu in the kaomise drama "Mutsuchidori Meika no Yumitori".

2nd lunar month of 1769: the play "Sekitori Senryô Nobori", which was originally written for the puppet theater and staged for the first time in the 8th lunar month of 1767 in Ôsaka at the Takemotoza, was adapted for Kabuki for the first time, in Edo at the Moritaza; Matsusuke played the roles of Senbagawa's wife Oyotsu and the courtesan Fujie [casting].

11th lunar month of 1770: Matsusuke became tachiyaku at the Ichimuraza, playing the role of Yawata no Saburô in the kaomise drama "Meoto Giku Izu no Kisewata", which welcomed in Edo the Kamigata star Arashi Sangorô II and celebrated the shûmei of Bandô Hikosaburô III, Bandô Sanpachi II and Segawa Kichiji III.

Fall 1774 ~ Summer 1778: long stay in Kamigata; Matsusuke fell ill when he was back in Edo and had to rest for several months.

2nd lunar month of 1779: Matsusuke played at the Moritaza the role of Akoya in the drama "Dan no Ura Kabuto Gunki"; the roles of Iwanaga Saemon and Shigetada were played by Ichikawa Danjûrô V and Nakamura Nakazô I.

11th lunar month of 1781: premiere of the dance-drama "Waga Sekogakoi no Aizuchi" (commonly called "Kumo no Hyôshimai") at the Nakamuraza, which was performed within the kaomise program "Shitennô Tonoi no Kisewata"; the roles of the spirit of the spider, Minamoto no Raikô, Sadamitsu and Sakata Kintoki were played by Segawa Kikunojô III, Sawamura Sôjûrô III, Matsusuke and Ichikawa Danjûrô V.

29th day of the 12th lunar month of 1783 ^[3]: his master Onoe Kikugorô I died in Ôsaka.

5th lunar month of 1794: premiere at the Kiriza of Sakurada Jisuke I's drama "Katakiuchi Noriai Banashi"; Matsusuke played the roles of Sasaki Ganryû and Matsushita Mikinoshin [more details].

7th lunar month of 1804: premiere at the Kawarasakiza of Katsu Hyôzô I's drama "Tenjiku Tokubê Ikoku Banashi"; Matsusuke played the roles of the sendô Tenjiku Tokubê, Dainichimaru, the zatô Tokuichi and Tsukiwakamaru's wet nurse Iohata [casting].

11th lunar month of 1804: premiere at the Kawarasakiza of Katsu Hyôzô I's kaomise drama "Shitennô Momiji no Edoguma"; Matsusuke played the roles of Tatsuyasha Gozen, the Mount Katsuragi tsuchi-gumo and Sôma Tarô Yoshikado [casting].

1st lunar month of 1805: Matsusuke's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, jitsuaku section, was jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1805: Matsusuke performed at the Ichimuraza in the kaomise drama "Keisei Yoshino no Kane".

1st lunar month of 1806: Matsusuke's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, jitsuaku section, was jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual]. He was the kanjiku for jitsuaku actors.

4th lunar month of 1806: Matsusuke played in the same theater the roles of Ono no Kudayû and Ichimonjiya Saibê in the drama "Kanadehon Chûshingura".

11th lunar month of 1806: Matsusuke performed at the Ichimuraza in the kaomise drama "Wakazakari Heike Monogatari", which welcomed in Edo the actors Bandô Hikosaburô III and Ichikawa Dannosuke III. The performance was interrupted the 13th day of the 11th lunar month by a sudden fire, which burned the theater to ashes and killed many members of the audience.

11th lunar month of 1807: Matsusuke performed at the Ichimuraza in the kaomise drama "Kigoto no Hana Yashima Kaijin".

4th lunar month of 1808: Matsusuke played in the same theater the roles of Ono no Kudayû and Kanpei's mother in the drama "Kanadehon Chûshingura".

6th lunar month of 1808: premiere at the at the Ichimuraza of Katsu Hyôzô I's drama "Iroeiri Otogi Zôshi" ^[2]; Matsusuke played the roles of Kohata Koheiji, Koheiji's wife Otowa (in reality Tetsuzan's sister Asaka), Asayama Shôgen Tetsuzan, Mihara's sister Kôsaki, the sonja Rakan Nakatara, the sendô Tenjiku Tokubê (in reality Dainichimaru) and the kôguya Yahê [casting].

11th lunar month of 1808: Matsusuke performed at the Ichimuraza in the kaomise drama "Irosoyuru Nidai Genji", which welcomed in Edo the Kamigata actor Sawamura Tanosuke II and celebrated the shûmei of Nakamura Rikô II.

6th lunar month of 1809: premiere at the Moritaza of Katsu Hyôzô I's drama "Okuni Gozen Keshô no Sugatami"; Matsusuke played the roles of Okuni Gozen, Tosa Shôgen Mitsunobu, Ukiyo Matahei, Chikujô Gedô and Jûroku Rakan [casting].

11th lunar month of 1809: great shûmei at the Ichimuraza for the Otowaya guild; Onoe Matsusuke I and Onoe Eizaburô I respectively took the names of Onoe Shôroku I and Onoe Matsusuke II, performing in Katsu Hyôzô I and Sakurada Jisuke II kaomise drama "Misao no Hana Toba no Koizuka"; Shôroku played the roles of the azusa miko Mayumi, the ghost of Minamoto no Yoshitomo and Kazusa Gorobê Tadamitsu [more details].

1st lunar month of 1810: premiere at the Ichimuraza of Tsuruya Nanboku IV and Sakurada Jisuke II drama "Kokoro no Nazo Toketa Iroito"; Shôroku played the role of Kaze-no-Kami Kizaemon [casting].

5th lunar month of 1810: premiere at the Ichimuraza of Katsu Hyôzô I and Sakurada Jisuke II drama "Ehon Gappô-ga-Tsuji"; Shôroku played the roles of the widow Satomi and Bungozaemon [casting].

11th lunar month of 1810: Shôroku performed at the Nakamuraza in the kaomise drama "Yuki to Tsuki Hana no Kuronushi".

1st lunar month of 1811: Shôroku played at the Nakamuraza the role of Kudô Saemon Suketsune in the new year sogamono drama "Sakaichô Maizuru Soga"; the roles of Soga Gorô Tokimune and Soga Jûrô Sukenari were played by Onoe Matsusuke II and Sawamura Gennosuke I.

7th lunar month of 1811: Shôroku played in the same theater the role of Fujiwara no Shihei in the drama "Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami". He also played the roles of Kô no Moronô and Ono no Kudayû in the drama "Kanadehon Chûshingura".

11th lunar month of 1812: Shôroku performed at the Moritaza in the kaomise drama "Yukimo Yoshino Kigoto no Kaomise".

1st lunar month of 1813: Shôroku's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, jitsuaku section, was (shiro)kô-jô-jô-kichi ((white) meritorious - superior - superior - excellent) [Visual].

11th lunar month of 1813: Shôroku performed at the Moritaza in Tsuruya Nanboku IV's kaomise drama "Gohiiki Tsunagi Uma" [more details].

1st lunar month of 1814: Shôroku's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, jitsuaku section, was kô-jô-jô-kichi (meritorious - superior - superior - excellent) [Visual].

6th lunar month of 1814: Shôroku performed at the Ichimuraza in the drama "Katsuragawa Enishi no Adanami"; he suddenly fell ill and had to stop acting.

16th day of the 10th lunar month of 1815 ^[1]: Shôroku died in Edo.

Comments:

Onoe Shôroku I started his brilliant career as an onnagata but became famous as an amazing tachiyaku. He was a great jitsuaku in his latter years. His forte were ghosts plays and hayagawari techniques. He was also a talented musician and the owner of a cosmetics shop in the district of Fukiya-chô in Edo.

[1] The 16th day of the 10th lunar month of the 12th year of the Bunka era was the 16th of November 1815 in the western calendar.

[2] Another possible reading for the title was "Eiri Otogi Zôshi".

[3] The 29th day of the 12th lunar month of the 3rd year of the Tenmei era was the 21st of January 1784 in the western calendar.

The actors Onoe Shôroku I (front) and Sawamura Tôzô II (at the window) playing the roles of the female fox Kuzu-no-Ha and Abe no Yasuna's son in the kaomise drama "Gohiiki Tsunagi Uma", which was staged in the 11th lunar month of 1813 at the Moritaza (print made by Utagawa Kunisada I)

Prints & Illustrations

The Onoe Matsusuke line of actors

The Onoe Shôroku line of actors