Stage name:

Matsushima Hyôtarô

Pen name:

Matsuda Hyakka

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Poetry name: Hyakka

Existence: ??? ~ 1764 (?)

Connection:

Master: Matsushima Hanshichi II

Brothers: Matsuya Raisuke I, Izumikawa Sennosuke

Disciple: Matsushima Sakuya II (?)

Career:

Before 1711: he became disciple of Matsushima Hanshichi II, received the name of Matsushima Hyôtarô and was trained to be a wakaonnagata actor.

Winter 1711 (1st lunar month?): Hyôtarô's name appeared for the first time on the Kabuki playbill of a major theater; he played the role of Sakura no Naishi in the drama "Onna Shôjô", which was produced in Ôsaka by Arashi San'emon III.

11th lunar month of 1717: Hyôtarô played in Ôsaka at the Higashi no Shibai the role of Hikokurô's nyôbô Fujinami in the kaomise drama "Meryû Oryû Kogane no Uroko", which was produced by Arashi San'emon III.

1st lunar month of 1720: first Kabuki adaptation of Chikamatsu Monzaemon's puppet theater drama "Heike Nyogo no Shima", which was produced by Takeshima Kôzaemon II in Ôsaka at the Naka no Shibai; Hyôtarô played the role of Chidori [casting].

11th lunar month of 1720: Hyôtarô played at the Kado no Shibai the role of Princess Kameyo [illustration] in the kaomise drama "Hana Yakata Chibikizuru", which was produced by Kirinoya Gonjûrô I.

11th lunar month of 1722: Hyôtarô played at the Kado no Shibai the role of Giô in the kaomise drama "Shingoten Aioi no Komatsu", which was produced by Arashi San'emon III.

12th lunar month of 1722: first Kabuki adaptation of Chikamatsu Monzaemon's puppet theater drama "Nebiki no Kadomatsu", which was originally written in the 1st lunar month of 1718. The play was staged in Ôsaka at the Kado no Shibai under the new title "Yamazaki Yojibê Hanchû Bushi"; Hyôtarô played the role of the courtesan Fujiya Azuma [casting].

11th lunar month of 1723: Hyôtarô became zamoto and produced at the Naka no Shibai the kaomise drama "Chûshin Futaba no Matsu", which celebrated the shûmei of Nakayama Shinkurô I.

Fall 1724: Hyôtarô went to Edo.

11th lunar month of 1724: Hyôtarô played at the Ichimuraza the role of Chitose in the kaomise drama "Bankoku Taiheiki"; his stage partners were Ichikawa Danzô I, Tomizawa Hanzaburô I, Ogino Izaburô I, Nakamura Kichibê I, Ogawa Zengorô I, Sodesaki Miwano I, Mimasuya Sukejûrô I, Fujimura Handayû II, Nakajima Mihoemon I and Kamakura Chôkurô II.

1st lunar month of 1725: Hyôtarô's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, was jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual].

5th lunar month of 1725: Hyôtarô played in the same theater the role of the courtesan Katsuragi in a great "Sayaate" scene; the roles of Fuwa Banzaemon and Nagoya Sanza were played by Tomizawa Hanzaburô I and Sawamura Sôjûrô I, who had just joined the Ichimuraza.

Fall 1725: Hyôtarô went back to Ôsaka.

11th lunar month of 1725: Hyôtarô played at the Ônishi no Shibai the role of Azuma in kaomise drama "Gokoku Jôju Naniwa no Yakata".

1st lunar month of 1726: Hyôtarô's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, was jô-jô-(shiro)kichi (superior - superior - (white) excellent) [visual].

Fall 1726: Hyôtarô went to Kyôto.

11th lunar month of 1726: Hyôtarô became zamoto and produced at Kameya Kumenojô's theater (Kyôto) the kaomise drama "Karanishiki Imose no Shitone", in which he played the role of Todoroki Kôemon's sister Tokoyo; the role of Kôemon was played by Anegawa Shinshirô I.

1st lunar month of 1731: Hyôtarô played in Kyôto at Kameya Kumenojô's theater the role of Kazuki no Oman in the new year ni-no-kawari "Keisei Mikasayama".

11th lunar month of 1737: Hyôtarô performed at the Naka no Shibai in the kaomise drama "Fukakusa-no-In Sannô no Maki", which was produced by Nakayama Shinkurô I.

8th lunar month of 1738: Hyôtarô played in the same theater the role of Kuzu-no-Ha in the drama "Shinoda-zuma"; the roles of Abe no Yasuna and Ashiya Dôman are played by Arashi San'emon III and Fujikawa Hanzaburô II.

11th lunar month of 1738: Hyôtarô moved to the Kado no Shibai and played the role of the keisei Inaba in the kaomise drama "Sanpukutsui Kogane no Ichigura", which was produced by Nakamura Jûzô I.

1st lunar month of 1739: Hyôtarô's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, was finally back to jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual].

Fall 1739: Hyôtarô went to Kyôto.

11th lunar month of 1739: Hyôtarô performed in the kaomise drama "Senzai Yakata Kogane no Shikigawara", which was produced by Arashi Koroku I.

1st lunar month of 1740: Hyôtarô's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, was jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual]. He was the kanjiku for wakaonnagata actors.

11th lunar month of 1741: Hyôtarô played at the Kado no Shibai the role of Komatsu in the kaomise drama "Kogane no Yakata Bandai no Kame", which was produced by Fujikawa Kamenoi.

1747: tour in Ise and Nagoya.

1751: he became playwright in Ôsaka, using the pen name Matsuda Hyakka.

1st lunar month of 1758: first Kabuki adaptation of the 5-act maruhonmono drama "Hime Komatsu Ne-no-Hi no Asobi" in Ôsaka at the Naka no Shibai; Hyakka not only worked on it as a sakusha but he also exceptionally performed on stage, under his usual name of Matsushima Hyôtarô, playing the role of Azumaya's mother [casting]. He also changed the writing of the first name of his pen name:

You need a Japanese Language Kit installed within your system in order to be able to read the characters

7th lunar month of 1762: he took part as an assistant playwright in the production of Namiki Shôzô I's drama "Shippei Tarô Kaidanki", which was staged at the Kado no Shibai.

Comments:

Matsushima Hyôtarô was a wakaonnagata, who made his career from the beginning of the 1710s to the beginning of the 1760s. He performed mainly in Kamigata and excelled in sewa nyôbô roles. He made a short and very successful season in Edo in 1724~1725, which led to the creation of many prints. He became playwright at the end of his career but did not take part in the creation of any major work. He most likely died in 1764.

Matsushima Hyôtarô

Prints & Illustrations