Stage names:

Sanogawa Hanazuma III
Arashi Sanjûrô III
Sanogawa Sôkichi

Line number: SANDAIME (III)

Poetry name: Kigen

Existence: ??? ~ 1774 (?)

Connection:

Master: Sanogawa Hanazuma I

Elder brother: Sanogawa Hanazuma II

Career:

1748: younger brother of Sanogawa Hanazuma II and disciple of Sanogawa Hanazuma I, he started his career as an iroko in Kyôto, performing under the name of Sanogawa Sôkichi.

11th lunar month of 1750: he became wakaonnagata in Ôsaka.

11th lunar month of 1752: the play "Ichi-no-Tani Futaba Gunki" was staged for the first time in Ôsaka, as a kaomise drama, at the Naka no Shibai; Sôkichi played the roles of Taira no Atsumori and Kojirô [casting].

11th lunar month of 1756: Sôkichi played at the Minamigawa no Shibai the role of Hanazono in the kaomise drama "Daimyô Bimandai Kuniiri Kamakura Kagami", which was produced in Kyôto by Sawamura Kunitarô I for the nadai Hayagumo Chôdayû.

11th lunar month of 1762: he became tachiyaku and took the name of Arashi Sanjûrô III at the Kado no Shibai, playng the roles of Miyako no Tsuru and Yukie in the kaomise drama "Hachinoki Nendaiki".

12th lunar month of 1762: he played in the same theater the role of the tedai Shôhachi in the drama "Futatsu Chôchô Kuruwa Nikki".

3rd lunar month of 1763: Sanjûrô's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô (superior - superior) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1763: he became wakaonnagata and took the name of Sanogawa Hanazuma III at the Kado no Shibai, playing the role of the keisei Imamurasaki in the kaomise drama "Kachidoki Aun no Ishizue".

1st lunar month of 1764: Hanazuma's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, was jô-jô-(shiro)hankichi (superior - superior - (white) half excellent) [visual]. He shared the same rank as Arashi Hinasuke I, Nakamura Senzô and Kirinoya Hidematsu.

9th lunar month of 1764: première in Ôsaka at the Kado no Shibai of "Oriawase Tsuzure no Nishiki", based on the puppet drama "Katakiuchi Tsuzure no Nishiki", which was produced by Nakayama Bunshichi I and celebrated the 16th anniversary (17th memorial service) of the passing away of the star Anegawa Shinshirô I. A similar play was staged one day later under a different title, "Hare Kosode Tsuzure no Nishiki", at the Naka no Shibai [casting]. The competition for the best performance and the best line-up was open between the 2 theaters. The performance at the Kado no Shibai was more successful than the one at the Naka no Shibai; Hanazuma played at the Kado no Shibai the role of Oharu's sister [casting].

11th lunar month of 1764: Hanazuma performed at the Kado no Shibai in the kaomise drama "Momotarô Obako Banashi", which celebrated the shûmei of Yoshizawa Ayame III and Onoe Shichisaburô.

1st lunar month of 1765: Hanazuma's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, was jô-jô-(shiro)kichi (superior - superior - (white) excellent) [visual].

Fall 1772: Hanazuma went to Kyôto.

11th lunar month of 1772: Hanazuma played at the Kitagawa no Shibai the role of the keisei Shiratayû in the kaomise "Shiraume Genji Kuruwa no Hachinoki", which was produced by Anegawa Chiyosaburô II.

1st lunar month of 1773: Hanazuma's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, was two black strokes above jô-jô-(shiro)kichi (superior - superior - (white) excellent) [visual].

2nd lunar month of 1773: Hanazuma played in the same theater the role of Tonase in the drama "Kanadehon Chûshingura".

11th lunar month of 1773: Hanazuma played in Kyôto the role of Watanabe no Tsuna's wife in the kaomise drama "Etari ya Etari Tsuwamono Majiwari"; the role of Watanabe no Tsuna was played by Onoe Shinshichi I.

1st lunar month of 1774: Hanazuma played in Kyôto in the same theater the role of Katsura Gozen in the new year drama "Keisei Miyako no Nishiki"; this was most likely his last appearance on stage.

Comments:

The onnagata actor Sanogawa Hanazuma III was active in Kamigata from the end of the 1740s to the beginning of the 1770s. He switched to tachiyaku only for one season in 1762-1763, when he was allowed to take the prestigious name of Arashi Sanjûrô but his voice was the one of an onnagata and he failed being a good tachiyaku. He quickly reverted to female roles and was quite successful, although he did not reach the same level of fame as his master Sanogawa Hanazuma I or his elder brother Sanogawa Hanazuma II. He most likely died in 1774.

Sanogawa Hanazuma III playing the role of Ofude in the drama "Hirakana Seisuiki", which was staged in the 12th lunar month of 1766 at the Kado no Shibai (on the left side, Nakayama Shinkurô I playing the role of the boatman Gonshirô)

Prints & Illustrations

The Arashi Sanjûrô line of actors

The Sanogawa Hanazuma line of actors