Stage names:

Arashi Bungorô I
Arashi Kinzai I
Arashi Kinsai

Guilds: Yoshinoya, Tenmaya

Poetry names: Issen, Bokuyû

Existence: 1741 ~ 25th day of the 7th lunar month of 1783 ^[1]

Connection:

Master(s): Arashi Sangorô II, Arashi Sangorô I (?) ^[2]

Disciple: Arashi Kinzai II (?) ^[3]

Career:

1741: born in Ôsaka.

1760s: disciple of Arashi Sangorô II, he received the name of Arashi Kinsai.

Fall 1766: he followed his master Arashi Sangorô II to Kyôto.

11th lunar month of 1767: he became tachiyaku, changed his stage name to Arashi Kinzai and played at the Kitagawa no Shibai the role of Takezumi Raizô in the kaomise drama "Daikokuten", which was produced by Onoe Montarô and Onoe Kumesuke and celebrated the shûmei of Bandô Yasuke and Bandô Sukesaburô II.

Fall 1768: Kinzai went back to Ôsaka.

11th lunar month of 1768: Kinzai played at the Naka no Shibai the role of Azumazashi Udesuke in the kaomise drama "Kômei Daifukuchô", which was produced by Mimasu Tanin I.

12th lunar month of 1768: Kinzai played in the same theater the roles of Mihara Denzô and Mihara Ariemon in the drama "Futatsu Chôchô Kuruwa Nikki".

11th lunar month of 1771: Arashi Kinzai took the name of Arashi Bungorô I at the Naka no Shibai, playing the role of Ishidô Kuranoshin in the kaomise drama "Temomutsumajiya Ryûgû no Shimadai", which also celebrated the shûmei of Ichikawa Otojûrô and Arashi Shichisaburô II.

1st lunar month of 1772: Bungorô's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô-(shiro)kichi (superior - superior - (white) excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1775: Bungorô performed at the Naka no Shibai in the kaomise drama "Gohiiki Tenmokuzan", which was produced by Mimasu Matsunojô and welcomed in Ôsaka the actor Sawamura Sôjûrô III.

12th lunar month of 1775: Bungorô played in the same theater the roles of Momonoi Wakasanosuke and Hara Gôemon in the drama "Kanadehon Chûshingura".

3rd lunar month of 1776: Bungorô's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, fell to jô-jô-hankichi (superior - superior - half excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1776: Bungorô played at the Naka no Shibai the role of Yoshioka Kijirô in the kaomise drama "Genji Saikô Uchide no Kozuchi", which was produced by Arashi Shichisaburô II.

12th lunar month of 1776: premiere at the Naka no Shibai of Nagawa Kamesuke I's drama "Igagoe Norikake Gappa"; Raisuke played the roles of Wada Yukie and Ishidome Busuke [casting].

1st lunar month of 1777: Bungorô's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was two black strokes above jô-jô-(shiro)kichi [visual].

11th lunar month of 1777: Bungorô played at the Naka no Shibai the roles of Miki Sakon and the yakko Heinai in the kaomise drama "Daijizai Kaminari no Kodakara", which was produced by Ichiyama Tajirô, celebrated the shûmei of Yamashita Kamenojô IV and welcomed back in Ôsaka his master Arashi Sangorô II after 3 and 7 seasons spent in Kyôto and Edo.

12th lunar month of 1777: Bungorô played in the same theater the role of Yoshikawa Saemon Kagetô in the new year ni-no-kawari drama "Keisei Suô no Dairi".

1st lunar month of 1778: Bungorô's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô-(hanshiro)kichi (superior - superior - (half-white) excellent) [visual].

Fall 1778: Bungorô went to Kyôto.

11th lunar month of 1778: Bungorô played at the Kitagawa no Shibai the role of the yakko Ômihei in the kaomise drama "Ume no Nazorae Azuma Hyakkan", which was produced by Somematsu Shichisaburô II.

12th lunar month of 1778: Bungorô played in the same theater the role of the yakko Tsumahei in the drama "Shin Usuyuki Monogatari".

1st lunar month of 1779: Bungorô's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was two black strokes above jô-jô-(shiro)kichi [visual].

11th lunar month of 1779: Bungorô played in Kyôto the roles of the fox Sankurô and the strategist Yamamoto Kansuke in the kaomise drama "Kaikei Kikkegawara", which was produced by Somematsu Shichisaburô II.

1st lunar month of 1780: Bungorô played in the same theater the role of Junkikan in the drama "Kinmon Gosan no Kiri".

Fall 1780: Bungorô went to Ôsaka.

11th lunar month of 1780: Bungorô played at the Naka no Shibai the role of the yakko Saibê in the kaomise drama "Mô Mô Yokaro Ushi no Tamamono", which was produced by Fujikawa Sango and welcomed back in Ôsaka the actor Yamashita Kinsaku II after 11 seasons spent in Edo.

1st lunar month of 1781: Bungorô's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was back to jô-jô-(hanshiro)kichi (superior - superior - (half-white) excellent) [visual].

12th lunar month of 1781: premiere in Ôsaka at the Kado no Shibai of Nagawa Kamesuke I's drama "Tengajaya-mura" [casting]. A similar play was staged a few days later under a different title, "Renga Chaya Homare no Bundai", at the Naka no Shibai. The competition for the best performance and the best line-up was open between the 2 theaters; Bungorô played at the Naka no Shibai the roles of Adachi Yasuke and Kyôya Mansuke [casting].

11th lunar month of 1782: Bungorô performed at the Naka no Shibai in the kaomise drama "Zu ni Notta Bankoku Tokai", which celebrated the shûmei of Kagaya Kashichi I.

1st lunar month of 1783: Bungorô played in the same theater the roles of Hayano Kanpei and Hara Gôemon in the drama "Kanadehon Chûshingura".

4th lunar month of 1783: Bungorô appeared on stage for the last time, in Ôsaka at the Naka no Shibai, where he played the role of Kujaku Saburô in the drama "Hade Kurabe Ise Monogatari".

25th day of the 7th lunar month of 1783 ^[1]: Bungorô died in Ôsaka.

Comments:

Arashi Bungorô I was a tachiyaku actor, who made his career in Kamigata from the 1760s to the beginning of the 1780s. He was said to be equally at home in sewamono and jidaimono dramas. He was quite popular but died before reaching the jô-jô-kichi ranking.

[1] The 25th day of the 7th lunar month of the 3rd year of the Tenmei era was the 22nd of August 1783 in the western calendar.

[2] According to Nojima Jusaburô's book "Kabuki Jinmei Jiten", he was a disciple of Arashi Sangorô I, which was quite impossible as the master died in 1739 and the so-called disciple was born in 1741. He was a disciple of Arashi Sangorô II for sure.

[3] There were records of an actor named Arashi Kinzai performing in Ôsaka in hama shibai between 1777 and 1783. Most likely the second holder of the name and a young disciple of Arashi Bungorô I.

Mimasu Tokujirô I (left) and Arashi Bungorô I (right) playing the roles of the keisei Shiratayû and Miki Sakon in the kaomise drama "Daijizai Kaminari no Kodakara", which was staged in the 11th lunar month of 1777 at the Naka no Shibai

Prints & Illustrations