Stage names:

Iwai Hanshirô VII
Iwai Shijaku I
Iwai Matsunosuke I
Iwai Komurasaki I

Nickname: Shijaku Hanshirô

Guild: Yamatoya

Line number: SHICHIDAIME (VII)

Poetry names: Senchô, Tojaku

Existence: 1804 ~ 1st day of the 4th lunar month of 1845 ^[1]

Connections:

Great-grandfather: Sawamura Sôjûrô II

Grandfathers: Iwai Hanshirô IV, Sawamura Sôjûrô III

Father: Iwai Hanshirô V

Father-in-law: Segawa Rokô IV

Eldest brother: Iwai Hanshirô VI

Son: Iwai Hanshirô VIII

Disciple : Iwai Matsunosuke II

Career:

1804: born in Edo. He was the second son of the star Iwai Hanshirô V, who gave him the name of Iwai Komurasaki I.

11th lunar month of 1806: Iwai Komurasaki I took the name of Iwai Matsunosuke I at the Nakamuraza.

11th lunar month of 1813: premiere at the Ichimuraza of Tsuruya Nanboku IV's kaomise drama "Modoribashi Sena-ni Gohiiki"; Matsunosuke played the role of Kaidômaru [more details].

29th day of the 11th lunar month of 1813 ^[8]: a fire broke out in Edo in the district of Takasago-chô and destroyed both the Ichimuraza and the Nakamuraza. The troupe at the Ichimuraza went to the Moritaza and both troupes performed in a new kaomise drama entitled "Modoribashi Mata no Kaomise", which mixed acts from "Gohiiki Tsunagi Uma" and from "Modoribashi Sena-ni Gohiiki".

3rd lunar month of 1814: premiere at the Ichimuraza of Tsuruya Nanboku IV's drama "Sumidagawa Hana no Goshozome", commonly called "Onna Seigen"; Matsunosuke played the role of Yoshida Umewakamaru [more details].

7th lunar month of 1815: premiere at the Kawarasakiza of Tsuruya Nanboku IV's drama "Haji Momiji Ase no Kaomise" (commonly called "Date no Jûyaku", in English the 'Ten Roles of Date'), whose plot and characters belonged to the "Meiboku Sendai Hagi" world; Matsunosuke played the role of Yoemon's daughter Oriku [casting].

3rd lunar month of 1817: premiere at the Kawarasakiza of Tsuruya Nanboku IV's masterpiece "Sakura Hime Azuma Bunshô"; Matsunosuke played the role of Inanoya Hanjûrô [casting].

3rd lunar month of 1820: premiere at the Tamagawaza of Tsuruya Nanboku IV's drama "Sakura Butai Maku no Datezome"; Matsunosuke played the role of Takao [casting].

1820 ~ 1821: tour in Kamigata with his father.

6th lunar month of 1821: Katsu Hyôzô I's drama "Kachi Zumô Ukina no Hanabure", commonly called "Shirafuji Genta", was revived for the first time, 11 years and 3 months after its premiere in Edo, in Kyôto at the Kitagawa no Shibai; Matsunosuke played the role of Osawa [casting].

11th lunar month of 1822: Iwai Matsunosuke I took the name of Iwai Shijaku I at the Moritaza, performing in the kaomise drama "Hanayagura Wakoku no Kachidoki".

11th lunar month of 1822 ~ 10th lunar month of 1823: the best year of the Iwai Clan; the tateonnagata for the 3 Edo theaters (Edo Sanza) were Iwai Hanshirô V (Ichimuraza), Iwai Kumesaburô II (Nakamuraza) and Shijaku (Moritaza).

3rd lunar month of 1823: premiere at the Moritaza of the 5-role hengemono "Yamato Gana Tamuke no Itsumoji"; the five roles ^[2] were performed by Shijaku [more details].

8th lunar month of 1826: premiere at the Nakamuraza of Tsuruya Nanboku IV's drama "Soga Nakamura Aki no Torikomi"; Shijaku played the roles of the onna hinin Mikazuki Osen and the Iwamotoin son Zenjibô [casting].

Winter 1831: Shijaku went for the second time on tour in Kamigata.

2nd lunar month of 1832: the "Gojôbashi" scene of "Ôgiya Kumagai", which was not in the original puppet drama, was added to this drama for the first time and staged in Ôsaka at the Kado no Shibai; Shijaku played the role of Kohagi (in reality Taira no Atsumori) [more details].

11th lunar month of 1832: great shûmei in Edo for the Iwai clan at the Nakamuraza (without Shijaku); Iwai Hanshirô V, Iwai Kumesaburô II and Iwai Hisajirô II respectively took the names of Iwai Tojaku, Iwai Hanshirô VI and Iwai Kumesaburô III.

3rd lunar month of 1835: Shijaku played at the Naka no Shibai (Ôsaka) the roles of Yae and Tonami in the drama "Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami".

4th lunar month of 1835: Shijaku went back to Edo.

8th day of the 4th lunar month of 1836 ^[3]: his elder brother Iwai Hanshirô VI died.

11th lunar month of 1837: premiere at the Nakamuraza of Sakurada Jisuke III's Tokiwazu-based hengemono "Kubeki Yoi Kumo no Itosuji", which was staged at the end of the kaomise drama "Kanzen Chôaku Tsuwamono no Kao Kagami". It starred Sawamura Tosshô I and Shijaku [more details].

3rd lunar month of 1844: Iwai Shijaku I took the name of Iwai Hanshirô VII ^[5] at the Nakamuraza, performing in the drama "Sugata no Hana Yayoi no Kagamiyama". He also performed in the dance "Shin-Yoshiwara Suzume" and played the role of Agemaki ^[6] in the drama "Sukeroku".

5th lunar month of 1844: Hanshirô played in the same theater the roles of Sakuramaru and Chiyo ^[7] in the drama "Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami".

1st lunar month of 1845: Hanshirô appeared on stage for the last time, in Edo at the Nakamuraza, where he performed in the drama "Tama Tsubaki Genpei Soga". He suddenly fell ill.

1st day of the 4th lunar month of 1845 ^[1]: hanshirô died ^[4].

Comments:

Iwai Hanshirô VII was a talented onnagata actor, endowed with a beautiful face, who excelled in the roles of machi musume in sewamono dramas. Like his brother Iwai Hanshirô VI, he died too young, before reaching the peak of his career. He published two books about his art, in 1823 and 1828.

[1] The 1st day of the 4th lunar month of the 2nd year of the Kôka era was the 6th of May 1845 in the western calendar.

[2] The 4th role, the komori, is still in the Kabuki repertoire and is nowadays entitled "Komori".

[3] The 8th day of the 4th lunar month of the 7th year of the Tenpô era was the 22nd of May 1836 in the western calendar.

[4] Iwai Hanshirô VII's tombstone was located in the cemetery of the Jôshinji Temple in the district of Fukagawa.

[5] It was also the shûmei of Matsumoto Kôshirô VI and Ichikawa Komazô VII.

[6] The roles of Sukeroku and Ikyû were played by Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII and Matsumoto Kôshirô VI.

[7] The roles of Matsuômaru and Umeômaru were played by Matsumoto Kôshirô VI and Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII.

[8] The 29th day of the 11th lunar lunar month of the 10th year of the Bunka era was the 21st of December 1813 in the western calendar.

Iwai Hanshirô VII portraying the courtesan Ôiso no Tora, the lover of Soga Jûrô in sogamono dramas, in a print made by Kunisada I in the 6th lunar month of 1852

Print made by Utagawa Toyokuni in 1819

Print made by Utagawa Kunisada in 1824

Print made by Utagawa Kunisada (1830~1843)

Print made by Utagawa Kunisada in 1852

The Iwai Komurasaki line of actors

The Iwai Matsunosuke line of actors

The Iwai Shijaku line of actors

The Iwai Hanshirô line of actors