Stage names:

Ichikawa Danjûrô III
Ichikawa Masugorô
Mimasuya Suketarô

Guild: Naritaya

Line number: SANDAIME (III)

Poetry names: Tokuben, Sanshô

Existence: 1721 ~ 27th of the 2nd lunar month of 1742 ^[1]

Connection:

Grandfather: Ikushima Shingorô

Father: Mimasuya Sukejûrô I

Adoptive father: Ichikawa Ebizô II

Career:

1721: born in Edo. He was the son of Ichikawa Danjûrô II's disciple Mimasuya Sukejûrô I and he was called Mimasuya Suketarô.

26th day of the 3rd lunar month of 1725 ^[2]: his father Mimasuya Sukejûrô I died. Afterwards, he was adopted by Ichikawa Danjûrô II.

11th lunar month of 1727: he received the name of Ichikawa Masugorô at the Nakamuraza, performing in the kaomise drama "Yatsumune Taiheiki", which celebrated the return of Ôtani Hiroji I (along with the Kamigata actor Kirinami Onoe) in Edo after 5 years spent in Kyôto.

11th lunar month of 1734: Masugorô played at the Ichimuraza the role of Mitachi Gontarô in the kaomise drama "Michinoku Yunzei Genji".

1st lunar month of 1735: Masugorô's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, koyaku section, was jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1735: great shûmei for the Naritaya at the Ichimuraza; Ichikawa Danjûrô II, Ichikawa Masugorô and Matsumoto Shichizô I took the respective names of Ichikawa Ebizô II, Ichikawa Danjûrô III and Matsumoto Kôshirô II. The new Danjûrô played the role of Seiryûmaru Aratora in the kaomise drama "Kongen Nana Komachi".

1st lunar month of 1736: Danjûrô's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô-(shiro)kichi (superior - superior - (white) excellent) [visual].

Summer 1736: Danjûrô played in the same theater the role of Ike no Shôji in the drama "Tôkaidô Yukumi Guruma", whose plot and characters belong to the "Oguri Hangan" world. His stage partners are Ôtani Hiroji I (the thief Mokuzu no Sanpei), Segawa Kikunojô I (Sanpei's wife), Segawa Kikujirô I (the courtesan Onikage), Ichimura Takenojô IV (Oguri Hangan) and Ichikawa Ebizô II (Gotô Saemon).

9th lunar month of 1736: Danjûrô played in the same theater the role of Mejiro no Fudô (white-eyed Fudô) in the drama "Yonin Fudô" ('The Four Deities Fudô'); his stage partners in the roles of Meguro no Fudô (black-eyed Fudô), Meaka no Fudô (red-eyed Fudô) and Meao no Fudô (blue-eyed Fudô) were Ichikawa Ebizô II, Ôtani Hiroji I and Ichimura Takenojô IV.

11th lunar month of 1736: Danjûrô played at the Kawarasakiza the role of Murakami Hikoshirô in the kaomise drama "Junpû Taiheiki".

11th lunar month of 1737: the play "Dan no Ura Kabuto Gunki" was staged for the first time in Edo, at the Kawarasakiza, as a kaomise drama entitled "Urûzuki Ninin Kagekiyo"; Danjûrô played the role of Honda no Jirô [casting].

11th lunar month of 1738: Danjûrô played at the Ichimuraza the role of Murakami Hikoshirô in the kaomise drama "Mitsugibune Taiheiki".

3rd lunar month of 1739: Danjûrô played in the same theater the role of Sukeroku in the drama "Sukeroku Jômon no Hanabusa"; the roles of Ikyû and Agemaki were played by Ichikawa Sôzaburô I and Tomizawa Montarô I.

11th lunar month of 1739: Danjûrô performed at the Ichimuraza in Fujimoto Tobun's kaomise drama "Tokiwagi Taiheiki".

11th lunar month of 1740: Danjûrô played at the Nakamuraza the role of Shinozuka Gorô in the kaomise drama "Miya Bashira Taiheiki", which celebrated the shûmei of Ichikawa Danzô III and Tomizawa Tatsujûrô.

3rd lunar month of 1741: Danjûrô's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô-(hanshiro)kichi (superior - superior - (half-white) excellent) [visual].

8th lunar month of 1741: last performance in Edo before going to Ôsaka; Danjûrô performed in the drama "Uruoi Seiwa Genji" but it was not well received by the audience.

10th lunar month of 1741: Ichikawa Ebizô II and Danjûrô went together to Ôsaka to perform for the enormous amount of 2000 ryô at the Ônishi no Shibai.

11th lunar month of 1741: Danjûrô played at the Ônishi no Shibai the role of Shinozuka Iga-no-Kami in the kaomise drama "Bankoku Taiheiki", which included the "Uirô Uri" scene and was produced by Sadoshima Chôgorô I.

12th lunar month of 1741: Danjûrô suddenly fell ill and decided to go back to Edo.

1st lunar month of 1742: Danjûrô's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô-(hanshiro)kichi (superior - superior - (half-white) excellent) [visual].

27th of the 2nd lunar month of 1742 ^[1]: Danjûrô died in Edo.

Comments:

Ichikawa Danjûrô III was a promising Naritaya actor, trained in the aragoto style, who unfortunately died too young.

[1] The 27th day of the 2nd lunar month of the 2nd year of the Kanpô era was the 2nd of April 1742 in the western calendar.

[2] The 26th day of the 3rd lunar month of the 10th year of the Kyôhô era was the 8th of May 1725 in the western calendar.

Nakamura Kichizô I (left), Nakamura Shichisaburô II (center) and Ichikawa Danjûrô III (right) playing the roles of Princess Hitomaru, Chichibu no Korokurô and Honda no Jirô in the kaomise drama "Urûzuki Ninin Kagekiyo", which was staged in the 11th lunar month of 1737 at the Kawarasakiza

Prints & Illustrations

Print made by Okumura Toshinobu around 1731

Print made by Torii Kiyomasu (1735 ~ 1741)

The Ichikawa Danjûrô line of actors