Stage names:

Sakata Hangorô IV
Ôtani Hiroemon IV
Bandô Daigorô

Other name:

Izuya Yasuke

Guilds: Shôgatsuya, Surugaya

Line number: YODAIME (IV)

Poetry names: Sankyô, Banfû

Existence: 1793 ~ 18th day of the 7th lunar month of 1840 ^[1]
(or 7th day of the 11th lunar month of 1839 ?) ^[2]

Connection:

Masters: Sakata Hangorô III (?) ^[3], Ôtani Hiroji III (?) ^[3], Bandô Mitsugorô III

Disciples: Sakata Kumaemon, Sakata Hangorô V (?), Sakata Hanjûrô (?), Ôtani Hiroemon V (?)

Career:

1793: born in Edo.

1793 ~ 1814: his first master was Bandô Mitsugorô III and his first sage name was Bandô Daigorô.

6th day of the 6th lunar month of 1795 ^[4]: the actor Sakata Hangorô III (his third master?) ^[3] died.

11th day of the 5th lunar month of 1802 ^[5]: the actor Ôtani Hiroji III (his second master?) ^[3] died.

1814: he joined the Ôtani Clan.

11th lunar month of 1814: he took the name of Ôtani Hiroemon IV at the Ichimuraza, performing as a katakiyaku in the kaomise drama "Sekai no Hana Sugawara Denju", which welcomed in Edo the Kamigata actors Arashi Sangorô III, Arashi Umatarô I and Nakayama Sharyû; Hiroemon's others main stage partners were Ichikawa Danjûrô VII, Matsumoto Kôshirô V, Iwai Hanshirô V and Suketakaya Takasuke II.

1822: he joined the Sakata Clan.

11th lunar month of 1822: he took the name of Sakata Hangorô IV at the Nakamuraza, playing the roles of Nagakami Tarô and Iga Jutarô in the drama "Gohiiki Azuma Hyakkan", which also celebrated the shûmei of Mimasu Gennosuke I and welcomed in Edo Nakamura Sankô I; his stage partners were Matsumoto Kôshirô V, Bandô Mitsugorô III, Iwai Kumesaburô II, Arashi Kanjûrô I and Yamashina Jinkichi III.

1st lunar month of 1827: Hangorô's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, jitsuaku/katakiyaku section, was jô-jô-(hanshiro)kichi (superior - superior - (half-white) excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1828: Hangorô played at the Nakamuraza the role of Yushima no Sankichi in Tsuruya Nanboku IV's drama "Motomishi Hana Otogi Heike"; his yearly salary was 250 ryô.

11th lunar month of 1829: premiere at the Nakamuraza of Tsuruya Nanboku IV's drama "Kin no Zai Sarushima Dairi"; Hangorô played the roles of Muraoka Gorô and Usui Aratôta [more details].

1st lunar month of 1830: Hangorô's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, katakiyaku section, was jô-jô-(hanshiro)kichi (superior - superior - (half-white) excellent) [visual].

5th lunar month of 1830: Hangorô appeared on a Kabuki stage for the last time, at the Nakamuraza where he played the roles of Ishidô Umanosuke and Yamana Saemon in the drama "Shima Utsushi Iroha Nikki". He retired from the Kabuki world to enter the world of prostitution, becoming through his wedding with the Izuya musume the young master of the Izuya, a yûjoya in Shinjuku. He was called Izuya Yasuke.

27th day of the 12th lunar month of 1831 ^[6]: his first master Bandô Mitsugorô III died.

18th day of the 7th lunar month of 1840 ^[1] (or 7th day of the 11th lunar month of 1839 ?) ^[2]: Izuya Yasuke died in Edo.

Comments:

Sakata Hangorô IV was an Edo supporting katakiyaku actor, who was active in his native town from the beginning of the 1810s to 1830. He was the only known actor ending instead of starting his career in prostitution.

[1] Day of death reported in the latest edition (2012) of "Kabuki Haiyû Meiseki Benran". The 18th day of the 7th lunar month of the 11th year of the Tenpô era was the 15th of August 1840 in the western calendar.

[2] Day of death reported in Nojima Jusaburô's book "Kabuki Jinmei Jiten". The 7th day of the 11th lunar month of the 10th year of the Tenpô era was the 12th of December 1839 in the western calendar.

[3] He was recorded (in Nojima Jusaburô's book "Kabuki Jinmei Jiten") as becoming a disciple of first Ôtani Hiroji III, then Sakata Hangorô III but these two actors died when Daigorô was still a young boy.

[4] The 6th day of the 6th lunar month of the 7th year of the Kansei era was the 21st of July 1795 in the western calendar.

[5] The 11th day of the 5th lunar month of the 2nd year of the Kyôwa era was the 10th of June 1802 in the western calendar.

[6] The 27th day of the 12th lunar month of the 2nd year of the Tenpô era was the 29th of January 1832 in the western calendar.

Sakata Hangorô IV playing the role of Gonta in the drama "Kinbusen Yosooi Genji", which was staged in the 11th lunar month of 1827 at the Nakamuraza (print made by Utagawa Kuniyasu I)

Print made by Utagawa Kunisada in 1822

Print made by Utagawa Kuniyasu in 1825

The Ôtani Hiroemon line of actors

The Sakata Hangorô line of actors