ONOE SHÔROKU II

October 1918: he made his first appearance on stage at the Imperial Theater, where he received the name of Matsumoto Yutaka and played the role of Ishiwakamaru in the drama "Shusse Kagekiyo".

March 1935: he became disciple of Onoe Kikugorô VI and received the name of Onoe Shôroku II^[1] at the Kabukiza; the new Shôroku played the roles of Arajishi Otokonosuke and Bantônai in the drama "Meiboku Sendai Hagi" and the dance-drama "Tsuchi-gumo".

1937: Onoe Shôroku II became the head of the Fujima School of traditional dance and, as a dance master, he took the name of Fujima Kan'emon IV.

May 1947: revival at the Tôkyô Gekijô of the drama "Jayanagi"; Shôroku played the role of the yamabushi Shunjôbô Jûgen [more details].

September 1947: premiere at the Imperial Theater of Atsumi Seitarô's version of "Nansô Satomi Hakkenden"; Shôroku played the role of Inuta Kobungo Yasuyori [casting].

27 January 1949: his father Matsumoto Kôshirô VII died.

10 July 1949: his master Onoe Kikugorô VI died.

July 1951: revival at the Shinbashi Enbujô of Kawatake Mokuami's drama "Jitsugetsusei Kyôwa Seidan"; Shôroku played the role of Ômu no Ryûzô, later the priest Ryûzen [casting].

January 1952: premiere at the Shinbashi Enbujô of Hagiwara Yukio's Kiyomoto-based dôjôjimono "Yuki no Dôjôji"; Shôroku played the role of a young shugenja [casting].

October 1952: premiere at the Kabukiza of Osaragi Jirô's drama "Wakaki Hi no Nobunaga"; Shôroku played the role of Hirate Masahide [casting]. He also plays for the first time the role of the smuggler Kezori in the drama "Koi Minato Hakata no Hitofushi"; his stage partners in the roles of Sôshichi and the courtesan Kojorô were Ichikawa Ebizô IX and Onoe Baikô VII.

March 1953: premiere at the Kabukiza of Osaragi Jirô's drama "Edo no Yûbae"; Shôroku played the role of the hatamoto Dômae Daikichi [casting].

March 1954: premiere at the Kabukiza of the 1st part of Funahashi Seiichi's drama "Ejima Ikushima"; Shôroku played the role of the Kabuki actor Ichikawa Danjûrô II [more details].

March 1954: first edition at the Kabukiza from the 27th to the 28th of March of the Tsubomikai, a study group led by Nakamura Utaemon VI [more details]. It included the revival of the dance-drama "Oshidori" in which Shôroku played the role of Matano Gorô Kagehisa [more details].

October 1954: premiere at the Kabukiza of the 2nd part of Funahashi Seiichi's drama "Ejima Ikushima"; Shôroku played the role of the Kabuki actor Ichikawa Danjûrô II [more details].

December 1954: premiere at the Meijiza of Kawaguchi Matsutarô's revision of Chikamatsu Monzaemon's drama "Daikyôji Mukashi Goyomi", which was entitled "Osan Mohei"; Shôroku played the role of Akamatsu Bairyû [casting].

March 1955: premiere at the Kabukiza of the 3rd (and last) part of Funahashi Seiichi's drama "Ejima Ikushima"; Shôroku played the roles of Arai Hakuseki and the Kabuki actor Ichikawa Danjûrô II [more details].

January 1958: premiere at the Shinbashi Enbujô of the of the matsubamemono dance-drama "Tôzumô"; Shôroku played the role of a Japanese sumôtori [more details].

June ~ July 1960: Shôroku took part in the first Kabuki tour in the USA; He played the roles of Benkei, Yuranosuke, Moronô and Tamanoi in the dramas "Kanjinchô", "Kanadehon Chûshingura" and "Migawari Zazen" [casting].

June 1963: premiere at the Kabukiza of Hagiwara Yukio's Nagauta-based dance-drama "Ôeyama Shuten Dôji"; Shôroku played the role of Minamoto Yorimitsu (Raikô) [casting]. Namiki Shôzô I's drama "Yadonashi Danshichi Shigure no Karakasa" was produced for the first time at the Kabukiza; Shôroku played the role of Danshichi Mohê [casting].

January 1967: revival at the National Theatre of "Narukami Fudô Kitayama Zakura"; Shôroku played the roles of the wicked priest Narukami, Kumedera Danjô and the deity Fudô Myôô [casting].

February 1967: premiere at the Kabukiza of Hagiwara Yukio's dance-drama "Dattan"; Shôroku played the role of the priest Shûkei [casting].

1972: Shôroku received the prestigious title of Living National Treasure (Ningen Kokuhô in Japanese).

October 1973: Shôroku played at the Kabukiza the roles of Igami-no-Gonta, Nippon Daemon, Ôdate Samagorô Teruhide and Kabutoya Yogorô in "Sushiya", "Benten Kozô", "Musume Dôjôji" and "Gosho no Gorozô", which were staged to celebrate the shûmei of Onoe Kikugorô VII.

November 1973: Shôroku played at the Kabukiza the roles of Watanabe Genji Tsuna, Matahei and Ikyû in "Ibaraki", "Domo Mata" and "Sukeroku", which were staged to celebrate the second month of shûmei of Onoe Kikugorô VII.

February 1975: premiere at the Kabukiza of Ikenami Shôtarô's drama "Debauchi Otama"; Shôroku played the role of Masuda Shôzô [more details].

1975: Fujima Kan'emon IV took the name of Fujima Kansai II and gave his previous dance master name to his son Onoe Tatsunosuke I, who became Fujima Kan'emon V.

February 1977: premiere at the Kabukiza of Ikenami Shôtarô's drama "Ichimatsu Kozô no Onna"; Shôroku played the role of the dôshin Nagai Yogorô [more details].

February 1978: premiere at the Kabukiza of Ikenami Shôtarô's drama "Aibiki no Onna"; Shôroku played the role of the Tamanoo teishu Chôbê [more details].

October 1979: Shôroku played for the last time the role of the smuggler Kezori in the drama "Koi Minato Hakata no Hitofushi", which was staged at the Kabukiza; his stage partners in the roles of Sôshichi and the courtesan Kojorô were Sôshichi and Kojorô were Onoe Kikugorô VII and Nakamura Jakuemon IV.

January 1980: revival at the National Theatre of Tsuruya Nanboku IV's kaomise drama "Modoribashi Sena-ni Gohiiki" [more details]; Shôroku played the roles of Sôma Tarô Yoshikado, the tabako-uri Sakamushi Oyoshi, Mita Genta Hirotsuna (in reality Sôma Tarô Yoshikado) and the sanzoku Onoemon (in reality Mita no Tsugô)^[5].

January 1982: revival at the National Theatre of the bombastic drama "Zôhiki"^[2], a play in the aragoto style; Shôroku played the role of the warrior Mita no Genji Takeru [casting].

January 1983: revival of "Nanatsu Men" at the National Theatre; Shôroku played the role of the mask-maker Gagoze Akaemon, in reality Akushichibyôe Kagekiyo [casting].

January 1984: historic revival at the National Theatre of the play "Sankai Nagoya"; Shôroku played the roles of Fuwa Banzaemon Terumasa and Shôki Daijin [casting].

January 1985: revival at the National Theatre of the drama "Kan U"^[2]; Shôroku played the role of Hatakeyama no Shigetada, later the Chinese general Kan U [casting].

Summer 1985: tour in the USA; Shôroku played the roles of Kiyohara no Takehira and the priest Chichû (in reality the spirit of the ground spider) in the drama "Shibaraku" and the dance-drama "Tsuchi-gumo", which celebrated the shûmei in the USA of Ichikawa Danjûrô XII [more details].

January 1986: revival at the National Theatre of the rarely-staged drama "Uwanari"^[2]; Shôroku played the role of Kôga no Saburô Kaneie [more details].

28 March 1987: his son Onoe Tatsunosuke I died.

February 1989: Shôroku appeared on stage for the last time, in Tôkyô at the Kabukiza, where he played the roles of Ishikawa Goemon^[3] and Nippon Daemon in the drama "Sanmon" and the shibai mae "Kasane Ôgi Yukari no Ekurabe"^[4].

25 June 1989: Shôroku died.

Comments:

Onoe Shôroku II was one of the best tachiyaku of the Shôwa era. His physical appearance evoked the great aragotoshi of the Genroku era.

Onoe Shôroku II's best roles: Musashibô Benkei ("Kanjinchô"), the hairdresser Shinza ("Kamiyui Shinza"), the Earth Spider ("Tsuchi-gumo"), the wicked priest Narukami ("Narukami"), Kumedera Danjô ("Kenuki"), Igami no Gonta/Taira no Tomomori/the fox Genkurô/Tadanobu ("Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura"), Kamakura Gongorô Kagemasa ("Shibaraku"), the fishmonger Sôgorô ("Sakanaya Sôgorô"), Umekichi/Dôgen ("Mekura Nagaya Ume-ga-Kagatobi").

[1] The previous official holder of this name, Onoe Shôroku I, held it up to the 10th lunar month of 1815. An important disciple of Onoe Kikugorô III held this name from the 10th lunar month of 1849 to May 1873. He was considered as Onoe Shôroku II in Nojima Jusaburô's book "Kabuki Jinmei Jiten".

[2] A drama belonging to the Kabuki Jûhachiban.

[3] The role of Mashiba Hisayoshi was played by Onoe Baikô VII.

[4] These dramas were part of a program celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Onoe Kikugorô Gekidan.

[5] It was also the omemie for Shôroku's grandson Fujima Arashi.

Onoe Shôroku II playing the role of Danshichi Kurobê in the drama "Natsu Matsuri Naniwa Kagami" (print made by Ôta Masamitsu in 1955)

Prints & Illustrations

The Onoe Shôroku line of actors