Stage names:

Yoshizawa Iroha II
Yoshizawa Enjirô I
Yoshizawa Yûshi
Nakamura Keishi
Yoshizawa Enjirô I

Guild: Tachibanaya

Line number: NIDAIME (II)

Poetry name: Yûshi

Existence: 1783 ~ 21st day of the 10th lunar month of 1819 ^[1]

Connection:

Great-grandfather: Yoshizawa Ayame I

Grandfather: Yoshizawa Ayame III

Father: Yoshizawa Ayame V

Disciple: Yoshizawa Enjirô II

Family map: the Yoshizawa Clan

Career:

1783: born in Kamigata.

11th lunar month of 1788: he received the name of Yoshizawa Enjirô I and started his career in Ôsaka at the Kado no Shibai, performing as a koyaku in the kaomise drama "Inari Yakusha Kaomise".

1792: Enjirô became wakashugata.

1797: Enjirô became wakaonnagata.

11th lunar month of 1804: Enjirô became zamoto and produced at the Naka no Shibai the kaomise drama "Minoriyoshi Kane no Naruki", which starred Ichikawa Danzô IV, Kataoka Nizaemon VII, Arashi Sangorô III, Asao Kuzaemon I and Enjirô's father Yoshizawa Iroha I.

Fall 1805: Enjirô went to Edo.

11th lunar month of 1805: he took the name of Nakamura Keishi at the Kawarasakiza, performing in the drama "Chô Hanagata Koi Muko Genji", which celebrated also the shûmei of Nakayama Raisuke IV. Keishi was the haimyô of late Nakamura Tomijûrô I, who was the 3rd son of Keishi's great-grandfather Yoshizawa Ayame I.

1st lunar month of 1806: he took the name of Yoshizawa Yûshi at the Kawarasakiza, playing the role of the courtesan Ôiso no Tora (and two others roles) in Fukumori Kyûsuke I's new year drama "Mitsu no Homare Kaikei Soga"; the role of Tora's lover Soga Jûrô Sukenari was played by Bandô Mitsugorô III (who played 6 others roles).

3rd lunar month of 1806: Yûshi played in the same theater the role of the shirabyôshi Yokobue in the dance-drama "Kyôganoko Musume Dôjôji", which was staged to commemorate the 20th anniversary (21st memorial service) and 6th anniversary (7th memorial service) of the passing away of Nakamura Tomijûrô I and Nakamura Noshio II.

3rd lunar month of 1807: he took back the name of Yoshizawa Enjirô I at the Ichimuraza, playing the roles of Ôiso no Tora and Ôhime-kimi in the new year drama "Tokoyo no Hana Bandai Soga".

11th lunar month of 1808: Yoshizawa Enjirô I took the name of Yoshizawa Iroha II at the Moritaza, playing 3 roles in the kaomise drama "Hana to Mitsu Yuki no Kusunoki".

1st lunar month of 1809: Iroha's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, was jô-jô-(shiro)kichi (superior - superior - (white) excellent) [visual]. He shared the same rank with Ichikawa Dannosuke III.

26th day of the 8th lunar month of 1810 ^[2]: his father Yoshizawa Ayame V died in Ôsaka.

Summer/Fall 1810: Iroha went back to Kamigata.

1st lunar month of 1811: Iroha played at the Naka no Shibai the roles of Osono and the keisei Segawa in the new year drama "Keisei Ekiro no Ume".

11th lunar month of 1811: Iroha played at the Kitagawa no Shibai the role of Miyuki in the drama "Sanjikkoku Yofune no Hajimari"; he also played the leading role in the dance-drama "Musume Dôjôji".

1st lunar month of 1812: Iroha's rank in the Kamigata hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, was jô-jô-(shiro)hankichi (superior - superior - (white) half excellent) [visual].

7th lunar month of 1813: Iroha went to Edo to perform at the Nakamuraza.

1st lunar month of 1814: Iroha played at the Nakamuraza the role of the courtesan Ôiso no Tora in the new year drama "Gohiiki Ennen Soga"; the role of Tora's lover Soga Jûrô Sukenari was played by Bandô Mitsugorô III.

Summer 1814: Iroha went back to Kamigata.

1st lunar month of 1818: Iroha played at the Kitagawa no Shibai the roles of Chiyo and Oharu in the dramas "Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami" and "Oriawase Tsuzure no Nishiki". This was most likely his last stage appearance.

21st day of the 10th lunar month of 1819 ^[1]: Iroha died in Ôsaka.

Comments:

Yoshizawa Iroha II was a Kamigata onnagata actor, who was active from the end of the 1780s to the end of the 1810s. He followed in the footsteps of his father Yoshizawa Ayame V but died before being able to take the name of Yoshizawa Ayame VI. He was an excellent dancer and excelled in keisei roles. He was better in sewamono than in jidaimono.

[1] The 21st day of the 10th lunar month of the 2nd year of the Bunsei era was the 8th of December 1819 in the western calendar.

[2] The 26th day of the 8th lunar month of the 7th year of the Bunka era was the 24th of September 1810 in the western calendar.

Yoshizawa Iroha II (right) playing the role of the okugata Hamaogi in the drama "Keisei Yamato Zôshi", which was staged in the 1st lunar month of 1812 at the Naka no Shibai

Print made by Utagawa Toyokuni in 1806

The Yoshizawa Enjirô line of actors

The Yoshizawa Iroha line of actors