Stage name:

Hayakawa Denshirô

Poetry name: Shôchû

Existence: 1698 ~ 4th day of the 5th lunar month of 1749 ^[1]

Connection:

Brother-in-law: Hayakawa Dengorô

Career:

1698: born in Edo.

11th lunar month of 1714: Denshirô started his acting career in Edo at the Ichimuraza, where he performed as a tachiyaku, along with his brother-in-law Hayakawa Dengorô, in the kaomise drama "Enman Taiheiki", which welcomed in Edo the actor Wakabayashi Shirogorô.

11th lunar month of 1716: Denshirô played at the Ichimuraza the role of Aranami Kanzaemon in the kaomise drama "Yoroi Kurabe Ôshû Gane".

11th lunar month of 1717: Denshirô played at the Ichimuraza the role of Kanazawa Gontônai in the kaomise drama "Kinkazan Yoroi Biraki".

11th lunar month of 1718: Denshirô played at the Ichimuraza the role of Arai Kumagorô in the kaomise drama "Gozen Nô Mitsu Uroko", which celebrated the arrival in Edo of the Kamigata actor Onoe Samon; Denshirô's others stage partners were Mimasuya Sukejûrô I, Sodeoka Masanosuke II, Sanjô Kantarô II, Ôtani Hiroji I, Ichimura Takenojô IV, Ôkuma Utaemon, Nakajima Mihoemon I, Ogawa Zengorô I and Onogawa Orie.

11th lunar month of 1719: Denshirô performed at the Ichimuraza in the kaomise drama "Tategami Teika Kazura", which celebrated the shûmei of Tsuruya Nanboku I and Nanboku Magotarô II. Denshirô's brother-in-law Hayakawa Dengorô died the 20th day of the 11th lunar month of 1719 ^[2].

11th lunar month of 1720: Denshirô performed at the Ichimuraza in the kaomise drama "Kodakara Imagawajô", which celebrated the shûmei of Yamanaka Takejûrô.

11th lunar month of 1722: Denshirô played at the Ichimuraza the role of Ukishima Gengo in the kaomise drama "Hinazuru Katoku Soga".

11th lunar month of 1724: Denshirô played at the Ichimuraza the role of Hamana Dausuke in the kaomise drama "Bankoku Taiheiki".

11th lunar month of 1726: Denshirô performed at the Ichimuraza 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: Denshirô played at the Nakamuraza the role of Shinzaemon [print] in the kaomise drama "Yatsumune Taiheiki" [more details], which welcomed back in Edo the actor Ôtani Hiroji I (along with the Kamigata actor Kirinami Onoe) and celebrated the first stage appearance of Ichikawa Masugorô.

11th lunar month of 1728: Denshirô played at the Nakamuraza the role of Yamamoto Kurô in the kaomise drama "Hoshi Kabuto Goban Tadanobu".

11th lunar month of 1731: Denshirô played at the Nakamuraza the role of Watari Shinzaemon in the kaomise drama "Wagô Ichiji Taiheiki".

11th lunar month of 1733: Denshirô played at the Nakamuraza the role of Tôkurô Morinaga in the kaomise drama "Nagi no Hana Asahi Genji"; his stage partners were Sawamura Sôjûrô I, Anegawa Shinshirô I, Segawa Kikunojô I, Ogino Izaburô I, Narumi Goroshirô I, Nakamura Shichisaburô II, Sodesaki Iseno I, Ichikawa Sôzaburô I, Nakamura Kichibê I, Sakata Sadashirô, Yamashita Kamematsu I, Sanjô Kantarô II and Ôtani Ryûzaemon I.

11th lunar month of 1735: Denshirô played at the Nakamuraza the role of Sachûben Korenari in the kaomise drama "Tono Zukuri Shinoda-zuma".

11th lunar month of 1736: Denshirô worked as a sakusha at the Nakamuraza on the kaomise drama "Kuni no Tomi Sesshôseki" in which he played the role of Sasaki Genzô; his stage partners were Ôtani Hiroji I, Segawa Kikunojô I, Segawa Kikujirô I, Nakajima Mihoemon I, Arashi Otohachi I, Nakamura Kichibê I, Narumi Goroshirô I, Ogino Izaburô I and Kameya Jûjirô (who arrived from Kamigata).

11th lunar month of 1737: Denshirô worked as a sakusha at the Nakamuraza on the kaomise drama "Soga Monogatari Osana Nikki", which celebrated the arrival in Edo of the Kamigata actors Yamamoto Kyôzô, Yamamoto Hikogorô and Kaneko Mantoku; he played the role of Sugi Heita.

3rd lunar month of 1738: Denshirô's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô-jû (superior - superior - "ten") [visual].

11th lunar month of 1740: Denshirô worked as a sakusha at the Nakamuraza on the kaomise drama "Miya Bashira Taiheiki", which celebrated the shûmei of Ichikawa Danzô III and Tomizawa Tatsujûrô; he played the role of Saitô Tarozaemon.

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

11th lunar month of 1741: Denshirô worked as a sakusha at the Nakamuraza on the kaomise drama "En'ya Hangan Kokyô no Nishiki", which welcomed in Edo the actors Sanogawa Mangiku, Nakamura Shingorô I, Nakayama Shinkurô I and Nakamura Tomijûrô I.

11th lunar month of 1744: Denshirô played at the Nakamuraza the role of Tokunô Jihê in the kaomise drama "Kachô Taiheiki".

1st lunar month of 1745: Denshirô's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was down to jô-jô (superior - superior) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1745: Denshirô worked at the Nakamuraza on the kaomise drama "Suehiro Izu Nikki", which celebrated the arrival in Edo of the Kamigata actor Fujikawa Heikurô and the shûmei of Ôtani Hiroemon II and Nakamura Denkurô II.

11th lunar month of 1746: Denshirô worked at the Nakamuraza on the kaomise drama "Tenchi Taiheiki", which celebrated the arrival in Edo of the Kamigata actor Arashi Koroku I and also the shûmei of Hanai Saizaburô III, Sanjô Kantarô III and Matsushima Yaozô.

11th lunar month of 1747: Denshirô worked at the Nakamuraza on the kaomise drama "Izu Gunzei Sumô no Nishiki".

7th lunar month of 1748: Denshirô worked at the Nakamuraza on the drama "Senshû no Kashimadate Oguri Jikki".

4th day of the 5th lunar month of 1749 ^[1]: Denshirô died in Edo.

Comments:

Hayakawa Denshirô was an Edo tachiyaku actor from 1714 to 1741 and a sakusha from 1736 to 1749. As an actor, he was good in jitsugoto and budôgoto. His performances as a jitsuaku were also positively appreciated by the Edo audience. As a sakusha, he was equally equally at home in the creation of sewamono and jidaimono dramas. He wrote also the lyrics of a few Nagauta-based dance-dramas ^[4].

[1] The 4th day of the 5th lunar month of the 2nd year of the Kan'en era was the 18th of June 1749 in the western calendar.

[2] The 20th day of the 11th lunar month of the 4th year of the Kyôhô era was the 30th of December 1719 in the western calendar.

[4] All of them have fallen into oblivion. Nothing left in the current Kabuki repertoire.

Hayakawa Denshirô (left) and Nakamura Shichisaburô II (right) playing the roles of Tôkurô Morinaga and Itô Kurô in the kaomise drama "Nagi no Hana Asahi Genji", which was staged in the 11th lunar month of 1733 at the Nakamuraza