Stage names:

Sodesaki Iseno I

Line number: SHODAI (I)

Poetry name: Gyokushi

Existence: 1697 ~ 2nd day of the 2nd lunar month of 1735 ^[1]

Connection:

Master: Sodesaki Karyû

Son: Sodesaki Iseno II

Grandson: Sodesaki Iseno III

Family map: the Sodesaki Clan

Career:

11th lunar month of 1719: he started his career on stage as an iroko performing at the Nakamuraza in the kaomise drama "Nyohitsu Taiheiki", which commemorated the 6th anniversary (7th memorial service) of the passing away of Nakamura Denkurô I and celebrated the shûmei of Tamazawa Kôjûrô.

11th lunar month of 1726: Iseno became wakaonnagata and played at the Nakamuraza the role of Onoe-no-Mae in the kaomise drama "Kaomise Jûnidan".

11th lunar month of 1727: Iseno performed at the Nakamuraza in the kaomise drama "Yatsumune Taiheiki", which welcomed back in Edo the actor Ôtani Hiroji I (along with the Kamigata actor Kirinami Onoe) and celebrated the first stage appearance of Ichikawa Masugorô.

1st lunar month of 1728: Iseno played in the same theater the role of Kisegawa in the new year sogamono "Soga Hôraisan".

3rd lunar month of 1728: Iseno's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, was jô-jô (superior - superior) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1728: Iseno played at the Nakamuraza the role of Kyô-no-Kimi in the kaomise drama "Hoshi Kabuto Goban Tadanobu"; his stage partners in the roles of Tadanobu, Minamoto Yoshitsune, Kajiwara Genta, Tadanobu's wife Kowata and Shizuka Gozen were Ichikawa Danjûrô II, Sawamura Sôjûrô I, Ôtani Hiroji I, Tsugawa Kamon and Sanjô Kantarô II.

1st lunar month of 1729: Iseno's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, was jô-jô-(shiro)hankichi (superior - superior - (white) half excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1729: Iseno played at the Nakamuraza the role of Katsuragi in the kaomise drama "Ume Goyomi Konrei Nagoya".

1st lunar month of 1730: Iseno's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, was jô-jô-(hanshiro)kichi (superior - superior - (half-white) excellent) [visual]. He shared the same rank with Ogino Izaburô I, Hayakawa Shinkatsu and Sodesaki Miwano I.

11th lunar month of 1730: Iseno moved to the Ichimuraza where he played the role of Matsuyo-no-Mae in the kaomise drama "Hiragana Tokiwa Hachinoki".

1st lunar month of 1731: Iseno's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, fell to jô-jô-(shiro)hankichi (superior - superior - (white) half excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1731: Iseno played at the Ichimuraza the role of Kumo-no-Mae in the kaomise drama "Higashiyama Dono Eiga Butai"; his stage partners were Ôtani Hiroji I, Bandô Hikosaburô I, Yamamoto Hikogorô, Ichimura Takenojô IV, Sakata Hangorô I, Sanjô Kantarô II, Segawa Kikujirô I, Hayakawa Shinkatsu and Ichikawa Sôzaburô I.

11th lunar month of 1732: Iseno played at the Ichimuraza the role of Asahi-no-Mae in the kaomise drama "Tsuwamono Kongen Hiru-ga-Kojima".

1st lunar month of 1733: Iseno's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, was jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1733: Iseno went back to the Nakamuraza and played the role of Osen in the kaomise drama "Nagi no Hana Asahi Genji"; his stage partners were Sawamura Sôjûrô I, Anegawa Shinshirô I, Segawa Kikunojô I, Ogino Izaburô I, Hayakawa Denshirô, Nakamura Shichisaburô II, Ichikawa Sôzaburô I, Nakamura Kichibê I, Narumi Goroshirô I, Arashi Otohachi I, Sakata Sadashirô, Yamashita Kamematsu I, Sanjô Kantarô II and Ôtani Ryûzaemon I.

1st lunar month of 1734: Iseno's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, fell to jô-jô-hankichi (superior - superior - half excellent) [visual]. He shared the same rank with Hayakawa Hatsuse. He played the role of Ôiso no Tora in the new year sogamono drama "Jûhakkô Imayô Soga". This was his last stage appearance as he fell ill and had to retire.

2nd day of the 2nd lunar month of 1735 ^[1]: Iseno died in Edo.

Comments:

Sodesaki Iseno I was a popular Edo onnagata actor, who was active from the end of the 1710s to the first half of the 1730s, mainly at the Nakamuraza but also at the Ichimuraza. He was said to be equally at home in jidaimono or sewamono dramas. It was worthy to note that he was a jô-jô-kichi actor for one season (1733).

[1] The 2nd day of the 2nd lunar month of the 20th year of the Kyôhô era was the 24th of February 1735 in the western calendar.

The Actors Ichikawa Danjûrô II (top/right) and Sodesaki Iseno I (bottom/left)
Artist: Torii Kiyomasu II
Date: 1722–1732
The Art Institute of Chicago (print in the public domain)

Prints & Illustrations

The Sodesaki Iseno line of actors