| KAWARASAKI GONJÛRÔ III |
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Stage names:
Real name: Nagatani Masakazu Guild: Yamazakiya Line number: SANDAIME (III) Existence: 11 February 1918 ~ 18 February 1998 Connections: Father: Kawarasaki Gonjûrô II Brother: Kawarasaki Gonzaburô III Career: 11 February 1918: born in Nagoya. 15 September 1930: his brother Kawarasaki Gonzaburô III died. April 1935: he made his first appearance on stage at the Shinjuku Daiichi Gekijô, where he received the name of Kawarasaki Kaoru. May 1946: he took the name of Kawarasaki Gonzaburô IV. July 1951: revival at the Shinbashi Enbujô of Kawatake Mokuami's drama "Jitsugetsusei Kyôwa Seidan"; Gonzaburô played the role of the hikite jaya wife Okise [casting]. March 1953: premiere at the Kabukiza of Osaragi Jirô's drama "Edo no Yûbae"; Gonzaburô played the role of a boatman [casting]. January 1954: revival at the Shinbashi Enbujô of the Nagauta-based dance "Taimen Hana no Harukoma", which was entitled "Ataru Toshi Iwau Harukoma"; Gonzaburô played the role of Kudô Saemon Suketsune [casting]. March 1954: premiere at the Kabukiza of the 1st part of Funahashi Seiichi's drama "Ejima Ikushima"; Gonzaburô played the role of the chûrô Miyaji [more details]. October 1954: premiere at the Kabukiza of the 2nd part of Funahashi Seiichi's drama "Ejima Ikushima"; Gonzaburô played the role of the chûrô Miyaji [more details]. 11 January 1955: his father Kawarasaki Gonjûrô II died. May 1956: Kawarasaki Gonzaburô IV took the name of Kawarasaki Gonjûrô III at Kabukiza, playing the roles of Tarôkaja and Minbu in the dance-drama "Migawari Zazen" and the jidaimono "Kenuki". June 1959: Gonjûrô played at the Tôyoko Hall the role of Konoshita Tôkichi in the drama "Kinkakuji"; his stage partners in the roles of Matsunaga Daizen and Princess Yuki were Ichikawa Danshirô III and Sawamura Tosshô V. 1960: Gonjûrô became zagashira of the Tôyoko Kabuki troupe, based in the Tôyoko Hall in the district of Shibuya (Tôkyô). November 1962: revival at the Kabukiza of the drama "Fudô" [1]; Gonjûrô played the role of Hayakumo Tokikaze [more details]. June 1963: premiere at the Kabukiza of Hagiwara Yukio's Nagauta-based dance-drama "Ôeyama Shuten Dôji"; Gonjûrô played the role of Sakata Kintoki [casting]. May 1965: shûmei at the Kabukiza for 3 young actors of the Otowaya guild; Onoe Ushinosuke V, Onoe Sakon I and Bandô Kamesaburô IV respectively took the names of Onoe Kikunosuke IV, Onoe Tatsunosuke I, and Bandô Shinsui VIII. The program also commemorated the 16th anniversary (17th memorial service) of the passing away of Onoe Kikugorô VI. Revival in the same theater of the danmari "Otowa-ga-Dake Danmari"; Gonjûrô played the role of Ôtsuki Shuzen [more details]. March 1967: revival at the National Theatre of Tsuruya Nanboku IV's masterpiece "Sakura Hime Azuma Bunshô", which was supervised by Gunji Masakatsu; Gonjûrô played the roles of Awazu Shichirô and Sentarô [casting]. April 1967: revival at the National Theatre of Chikamatsu Monzaemon's drama "Yari no Gonza Kasane Katabira"; Gonjûrô played the role of Kawazura Bannojô [casting]. February 1975: premiere at the Kabukiza of Ikenami Shôtarô's drama "Debauchi Otama"; Gonjûrô played the role of Donden no Shinsuke [more details]. March 1975: revival at the National Theatre of Kawatake Shinshichi II's drama "Jiraiya Gôketsu Monogatari"; Gonjûrô played the role of Senso Dôjin [casting]. February 1976: revival at the Kabukiza of a 5-act revised version of Funahashi Seiichi's drama "Ejima Ikushima"; Gonjûrô played the role of the lady-in-waiting Miyaji [casting]. February 1977: premiere at the Kabukiza of Ikenami Shôtarô's drama "Ichimatsu Kozô no Onna"; Gonjûrô played the role of the pickpocket Sentarô [more details]. March 1977: revival at the National Theatre of Kawatake Shinshichi II's drama "Shiranui Monogatari"; Gonjûrô played the role of Toriyama Bungonosuke [more details]. April 1977: Gonjûrô played at the Shinbashi Enbujô the role of the Doge of Venice in William Shakespeare's drama "Othello". February 1978: premiere at the Kabukiza of Ikenami Shôtarô's drama "Aibiki no Onna"; Gonjûrô played the role of Izutsuya Shôshichi [more details]. December 1979: Gonjûrô received the National Theatre Excellence Prize (Kokuritsu Gekijô Yûshûshô) for his performance in the role of Gonshirô in the play "Hirakana Seisuiki". January 1980: revival at the National Theatre of Tsuruya Nanboku IV's kaomise drama "Modoribashi Sena-ni Gohiiki" [more details]; Gonjûrô played the roles of Iyo Tarô Arinobu and Minamoto no Yorimitsu. March 1981: revival at the National Theatre of Kawatake Mokuami's drama "Jitsugetsusei Kyôwa Seidan"; Gonjûrô played the role of Ômu no Ryûzô, later the priest Ryûzen [casting]. June 1981: Gonjûrô played at the National Theatre the role of Tsuribune Sabu in the drama "Natsu Matsuri Naniwa Kagami"; his stage partners were Onoe Tatsunosuke I (Danshichi Kurobê), Sawamura Sôjûrô IX (Otatsu) and Ichikawa Ginnosuke I (Issun Tokubê). January 1982: revival at the National Theatre of "Zôhiki" [1], a bombastic play in the aragoto style; Gonjûrô played the role of the priest Gazenbô [casting]. January 1983: revival of "Nanatsu Men" at the National Theatre; Gonjûrô played the role of Hatakeyama Shigetada [casting]. January 1984: historic revival at the National Theatre of the play "Sankai Nagoya" in which Gonjûrô played the role of Kigusuriya Heiji's wife Otsune [casting]. April 1984: revival at the Meijiza of Tsuruya Nanboku IV's 1813 kaomise drama "Gohiiki Tsunagi Uma"; Gonjûrô played the role of Ibaragiya Onishichi (in reality Ikasu Tarô Masazumi) [more details]. January 1985: revival at the National Theatre of the drama "Kan U" [1]; Gonjûrô played the role of The villager Shigesaku, in reality Tsutsumi Gunji, later Chô Ryô [casting]. January 1986: revival at the National Theatre of the rarely-staged drama "Uwanari" [1]; Gonjûrô played the role of the tsubone Kûen [more details]. November 1997: Gonjûrô appeared on stage for the last time, in Tôkyô at the Kabukiza, where he played the role of Chôbê in the drama "Shibahama no Kawazaifu"; he fell ill and had to be replaced from the 8th of November by his disciple Yamazaki Gon'ichi. 18 February 1998: Gonjûrô died in Tôkyô. Comments: Kawarasaki Gonjûrô III was a versatile and talented actor, who played both onnagata or tachiyaku roles. He played from 1960 to 1966 many leading roles in a small theater named Tôyoko Hall and located in the district of Shibuya in Tôkyô: Saitô Bettô Sanemori ("Sanemori Monogatari"), Fukuoka Mitsugi ("Ise Ondo Koi no Netaba"), Gorozô ("Soga Moyô Tateshi no Goshozome"), Yosaburô ("Yowa Nasake Ukina no Yokogushi"). Because of the close association of these roles with the star Ichikawa Ebizô IX (Ichikawa Danjûrô XI), Gonjûrô was nicknamed "Shibuya no Ebisama" ("Shibuya's Ebizô"). Kawarasaki Gonjûrô III's best roles: Yatagorô Genshichi ("Kamiyui Shinza"), Kôbê ("Benten Kozô"), Yashio ("Meiboku Sendai Hagi"), Ikyû ("Sukeroku Yukari no Edo Zakura"), Gonshirô ("Hirakana Seisuiki"), Yazaemon ("Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura"). [1] A drama belonging to the Kabuki Jûhachiban collection of plays. |
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Kawarasaki Gonjûrô III playing the role of Omatsuri Sashichi in the drama "Omatsuri Sashichi" in a print made by Tsuruya Kôkei in June 1987 The Kawarasaki Gonzaburô line of actors The Kawarasaki Gonjûrô line of actors |
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