Stage names:

Takenaka Tôzaburô
Takenaka Hatsusaburô I
Takenaka Hatsunojô
Takenaka Hatsudayû
Takenaka Ukon

Existence: ??? ~ ???

Connection:

Master: Ebisuya Kichibei

Disciple: Takenaka Kozarashi

Career:

1670s: disciple of the Kyôto dance master Ebisuya Kichibei, he started his career performing under the name of Takenaka Ukon. Later, he became wakaonnagata and performed under the name of Takenaka Hatsudayû. His next stage names were Takenaka Hatsunojô, then Takenaka Hatsusaburô I.

1686: he became tachiyaku and took the name of Takenaka Tôzaburô in Kyôto.

1690: he settled in Ôsaka.

11th lunar month of 1699: Tôzaburô played in Ôsaka the role of Tatsuta Naniwanosuke in the drama "Daimyô Takara no Fukubiki", which was produced by Takeshima Kôjûrô.

3rd lunar month of 1702: Tôzaburô's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô (superior) [visual].

1703: Tôzaburô performed in Kyôto.

1705: Tôzaburô went back to Ôsaka.

11th lunar month of 1707: Tôzaburô played in Ôsaka the role of Adachi Tômanosuke in the kaomise drama "Manpô Chibako no Tama", which was produced by Kataoka Nizaemon I.

1st lunar month of 1708: Tôzaburô played in Ôsaka the role of Nakamitsu in the new year drama "Minamoto no Manjû Okina Muko", which was produced by Kataoka Nizaemon I.

11th lunar month of 1709: Tôzaburô played the role of Tokiwanojô in the kaomise drama "Onna Gosho Bunko", which was produced in Ôsaka by Shinozuka Shômatsu.

Fall 1710: Tôzaburô went to Kyôto.

11th lunar month of 1710: Tôzaburô played in Kyôto at Kameya Kumenojô's theater the role of Takuemon in the kaomise drama "Kenkon Daikoku Bashira", which was produced by Kataoka Sanpei.

3rd lunar month of 1711: Tôzaburô's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô (superior - superior) [visual]. He shared the same rank as Yamatoyama Jinzaemon I and Takeshima Kôjûrô.

Fall 1711: Tôzaburô went back to Ôsaka.

11th lunar month of 1711: Tôzaburô played in Ôsaka the role of Uesugi Chûzaemon in the kaomise drama "Maizuru Yomeiri Kagami", which was produced by Shinozuka Shômatsu I.

3rd lunar month of 1712: Tôzaburô's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô (superior - superior) [visual]. He shared the same rank as Sakurayama Shirosaburô I, Sakurayama Shôzaemon I and Yamamura Kazaemon.

11th lunar month of 1712: Tôzaburô played in Ôsaka the role of Dôjôji Shinbê in the kaomise drama "Onna Imagawa Seishi no Jôjô", which was produced by Shinozuka Shômatsu I.

1st lunar month of 1713: Tôzaburô played in Ôsaka the role of the toneri Goômaru in the new year drama "Keizu no Musume".

11th lunar month of 1713: Tôzaburô played in Ôsaka the role of Miyoshi Tanomo in Azuma Sanpachi's kaomise drama "Onna Fude Yôbunshô", which was produced by Arashi San'emon III and Ogino Yaegiri I.

11th lunar month of 1714: Tôzaburô performed in Ôsaka in the kaomise drama "Bandai-ga-Ike no Tsurukame", which was produced by Arashi Sanjûrô I at Shioya Kuroemon's theater.

11th lunar month of 1715: Tôzaburô played in Ôsaka the role of the karô Kumabara Jûzaemon in Kaneko Kichizaemon's kaomise drama "Hachiman Chôja no Oto Musume", which was produced by Arashi San'emon III.

1st lunar month of 1716: Tôzaburô's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô-(shiro)kichi (superior - superior - (white) excellent) [visual]. He shared the same rank with Kaneko Kichizaemon and Onogawa Ugenji.

11th lunar month of 1716: Tôzaburô played in Ôsaka at the Higashi no Shibai the role of Iwato Tatewaki in the kaomise drama "Futahashira Kasen Kagami". He also played the role of Kanki in Chikamatsu Monzaemon's masterpiece "Kokusen'ya Gassen"; the role of Watônai was played by Sakurayama Shirosaburô I.

1st lunar month of 1717: Tôzaburô's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô-(hanshiro)kichi (superior - superior - (half-white) excellent) [visual]. He shared the same rank with Miyazaki Denkichi.

11th lunar month of 1717: Tôzaburô played in Ôsaka at the Higashi no Shibai the role of Nagaoka Chikaranosuke in the kaomise drama "Meryû Oryû Kogane no Uroko", which was produced by Arashi San'emon III.

11th lunar month of 1718: Tôzaburô performed in Ôsaka at the Higashi no Shibai in the kaomise drama "Kogane no Seigaiha", which was produced by Arashi San'emon III.

1st lunar month of 1719: Tôzaburô's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, fell to jô-jô-(shiro)kichi (superior - superior - (white) excellent).

3rd lunar month of 1719: first Kabuki adaptation of Chikamatsu Monzaemon's 1708 puppet theater drama "Keisei Hangonkô" by Kyôya Yagoshirô, which was produced by Arashi San'emon III in Ôsaka at the Higashi no Shibai; Tôzaburô played the role of Tosa Shôgen Mitsunobu [casting]. This was his last recorded performance in ôshibai. No record afterwards.

Comments:

Takenaka Tôzaburô was a popular and talented Kamigata tachiyaku actor, who was active from the first half of the 1670s to the end of the 1710s. He excelled in budôgoto. He disappeared before reaching the prestigious jô-jô-kichi rank but he was very close to this level.

Takenaka Tôzaburô (center/right) performing in the kaomise drama "Bandai-ga-Ike no Tsurukame", which was staged in the 11th lunar month of 1714 in Ôsaka at Shioya Kuroemon's theater

The two others actors were Segawa Kikunojô I (top/left) and Fukuoka Yagoshirô (bottom/left)

Prints & Illustrations

The Takenaka Hatsusaburô line of actors