Stage names:

Ichikawa Danzô I
Ichikawa Dannosuke I	|

Guild: Mikawaya

Line number: SHODAI (I)

Poetry name: Shikô

Existence: 1684 ~ 5th day of the 4th lunar month of 1740 ^[1]

Connection:

Father (?): Matsumoto Shirosaburô

Master: Ichikawa Danjûrô I

Brother: Ichikawa Danzaburô I

Sons: Ichikawa Dannosuke II, Ichikawa Danzô II

Adopted son: Ichikawa Danzô III

Career:

1684 ~ 1698: born in Edo. His father worked as a tôdori at the Moritaza. He became disciple of the actor Ichikawa Danjûrô I and started his career as a wakashugata named Ichikawa Dannosuke. Later on, he changed the first ideogram of his first name dan:

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3rd lunar month of 1698: Ichikawa Dannosuke I took the name of Ichikawa Danzô I, performing at the Nakamuraza in the drama "Kantô Koroku"; his stage partners were Ichikawa Danjûrô I and Ogino Sawanojô.

19th day of the 2nd lunar month of 1704 ^[2]: his master Ichikawa Danjûrô I died.

11th lunar month of 1708: Danzô performed at the Moritaza in the aragoto style in the drama "Onna Sanbijin Imose Nishiki".

11th lunar month of 1709: Danzô played at the Moritaza the role of Konnômaru in the kaomise drama "Tametomo Furiwakegami".

11th lunar month of 1711: Danzô played at the Ichimuraza the role of Ômori Hikoshichi in the kaomise drama "Shusse Taiheiki".

1st lunar month of 1713: Danzô's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô-(shiro)kichi (superior - superior - (white) excellent) [visual]. Danzô achieved a great success at the Nakamuraza by playing the roles of Soga Gorô Tokimune and Danshichi in the new year drama "Ôkazari Kanô Soga".

11th lunar month of 1715: Danzô played at the Moritaza the role of Arajishi Otokonosuke in Mitsushima Shichirôzaemon's drama "Hayazaki Onna Shimabara".

1716: Danzô and Ichikawa Danjûrô II had a deep quarrel.

2nd lunar month of 1717: Danzô played at the Ichimuraza the role of Soga Gorô Tokimune in the new year sogamono drama "Keisei Fuji no Takane"; the roles of Soga Jûrô Sukenari and Kudô Saemon Suketsune were played by Katsuyama Matagorô and Yamanaka Heikurô I.

11th lunar month of 1717: Danzô played at the Ichimuraza the role of Kamakura Gongorô Kagemasa in the kaomise drama "Kinkazan Yoroi Biraki".

1st lunar month of 1720: Danzô's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1723: Danzô played at the Ichimuraza the role of Tawara Tôta Hidesato in the kaomise drama "Hinagata Shuten Dôji", which celebrated the arrival in Edo of the Kamigata actor Ogino Izaburô I.

11th lunar month of 1724: Danzô played at the Ichimuraza the role of Hata Rokurôzaemon in the kaomise drama "Bankoku Taiheiki", which welcomed in Edo the Kamigata actor Matsushima Hyôtarô.

11th lunar month of 1725: Danzô performed at the Ichimuraza in the kaomise drama "Semimaru Onna Moyô".

11th lunar month of 1726: Danzô played at the Ichimuraza the role of Taira no Kagekiyo in the kaomise drama "Hinazuru Tokiwa Genji", which welcomed in Edo the Kamigata actors Arashi Sangorô I and Tsugawa Kamon.

11th lunar month of 1727: Danzô moved to the Moritaza and played the role of Hata Rokurôzaemon in the kaomise drama "Hônen Taiheiki"; his stage partners were Ichikawa Monnosuke I, Tomizawa Hanzaburô I, Sakata Hangorô I, Tamazawa Kôjûrô (who celebrated his shûmei), Fujimura Handayû II, Sodesaki Miwano I, Tsuruya Nanboku I and Yamamoto Hanasato.

11th lunar month of 1728: Danzô moved to the Ichimuraza and played the role of Ômori Hikoshichi in the kaomise drama "Kikusui Yoshino no Dairi".

11th lunar month of 1731: reconciliation for the actors Danzô and Ichikawa Danjûrô II, who ended a 17 years long quarrel and performed together at the Nakamuraza in the kaomise drama "Wagô Ichiji Taiheiki", which celebrated the arrival in Edo of the Kamigata star Sadoshima Chôgorô I. Danzô and Ichikawa Danjûrô II respectively played the roles of Kusunoki Masanori and Kusunoki Masatsura.

9th lunar month of 1732: premiere at the Nakamuraza of the drama "Kagekiyo", which was produced under the title "Ôichô Sakae Kagekiyo"; Danzô played the role of Gorobê Tadamitsu [casting].

11th lunar month of 1735: Danzô played at the Kawarasakiza the role of Itô Kurô Sukekiyo in the kaomise drama "Banzei Ikioi Izu Nikki".

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"; Danzô played the role of Kagekiyo [casting]. The final act of this play was a confrontation scene between Ichikawa Ebizô II and Danzô in the roles of the statue of Kan U and the statue of Chô Hi (Kan U and Chô Hi were two legendary Chinese generals), which was commonly called "Kan U" (Kabuki Jûhachiban).

11th lunar month of 1739: Danzô played at the Nakamuraza the role of Aoto Saemon Fujitsuna in the kaomise drama "Miyakozome Kaoru Hachinoki". He adopted his disciple Ichikawa Jirôza and gave him the name of Ichikawa Danzaburô II.

1st lunar month of 1740: Danzô appeared on stage for the last time, in Edo at the Nakamuraza, where he played the role of Kagekiyo in the drama "Hime Kazari Nishiki Soga", written by Hayakawa Denshirô and Nakamura Seizaburô II.

5th day of the 4th lunar month of 1740 ^[1]: Danzô died in Edo.

Comments:

Ichikawa Danzô I was a popular and talented actor, specialized in tachiyaku and katakiyaku roles, excelling as a jitsugotoshi or a aragotoshi.

[1] The 5th day of the 4th lunar month of the 5th year of the Genbun era was the 30th of April 1740 in the western calendar.

[2] The 19th day of the 2nd lunar month of the 17th year of the Genroku era was the 24th of March 1704 in the western calendar.

Ichikawa Danzô I in a print made by Torii Kiyonobu in 1721

Prints & Illustrations

Print made by Torii Kiyonobu in 1721

Print made by Torii Kiyonobu in 1725

Print made by Utagawa Toyokuni (1862~1863)

The Ichikawa Dannosuke line of actors

The Ichikawa Danzô line of actors