ONOE TAGANOJÔ I

Stage names:

Onoe Taganojô I
Onoe Gentarô^[1]

Real name: Tanbaya Senkichi

Guild: Tanbaya

Line number: SHODAI (I)

Existence: ???

Connections:

Brother (?): Onoe Genji

Disciples: Onoe Sodenosuke, Onoe Ukon I (master of Onoe Kikugorô I's master Onoe Samon), Onoe Wakamatsu, Onoe Sadanosuke

Career:

??? ~ 1690: born in Kyôto, in the district of Miyakawa-chô. He was the son of Tanbaya Mokuemon. He started his career at the age of 12 as a wakashugata playing under the name of Onoe Gentarô^[1].

1690: Onoe Gentarô took the name of Onoe Taganojô I.

1693: Taganojô played in Kyôto the role of Kamei Rokurô in the drama "Shinjû Yashima".

11th lunar month of 1693: Taganojô played the role of Shinnojô in the drama "Hako Denju", which was produced in Kyôto by Murayama Heiemon III; his stage partners were Mizuki Tatsunosuke I, Ichikawa Danjûrô I, Yamatoya Jinbê II, Tomizawa Samanosuke, Otowa Katsunojô and Uemura Takenojô.

9th lunar month of 1694: Taganojô played in the same theater the role of Taira no Atsumori in the drama "Kumagai Nagori no Sakazuki".

2nd lunar month of 1697: Taganojô name appeared for the last time as a Kyôto wakashugata.

1697 ~ 1706: no record.

2nd lunar month of 1707: a wakaonnagata actor named Onoe Taganojô^[2] performed in Kyôto in the new year ni-no-kawari drama "Keisei Ishiyamadera".

2nd lunar month of 1714: last record, in a Kyôto hyôbanki.

Comments:

Onoe Taganojô I was the founder of the Onoe clan. He was a wakashugata and a wakaonnagata actor of the Genroku era. His forte was budôgoto. He was said to be a handsome actor endowed with a beautiful voice.

[1] Recorded only in Nojima Jusaburô's book "Kabuki Jinmei Jiten", not in the latest edition (2012) of "Kabuki Haiyû Meiseki Benran".

[2] Was he Onoe Taganojô I or Onoe Taganojô 1.2 (a different person holding the name but not acknowledged as the 2nd in the line)? No way to clearly answer this question. It was answered as being the same person in the latest edition (2012) of "Kabuki Haiyû Meiseki Benran".

Onoe Taganojô I

The Onoe Taganojô line of actors