Stage names:

Yamatoya Jinbê II
Tsurukawa Tatsunosuke I

Nickname: Seizaemon

Guild: Yamatoya

Line number: NIDAIME (II)

Existence: ??? ~ 10th day of the 1st lunar month of 1704 ^[1]

Connections:

(Adopted ?) father: Yamatoya Jinbê I

Sons: Yamatoya Jinbê III, Yamatoya Jinnosuke

Nephew: Mizuki Tatsunosuke I

Career:

1677: Tsurukawa Tatsunosuke I took the name of Yamatoya Jinbê II. He was both a tachiyaku actor and a nadai.

1680: Jinbê and his zamoto Matsushima Han'ya I produced together the drama "Sumadera no Kaichô".

17th day of the 5th lunar month of 1683: the courtesan Yamatoya Ichinojô and her lover Goze no Chôemon committed suicide together in Ôsaka. This event caused quite a stir and three Ôsaka theaters decided to capitalize on the situation by simultaneously producing the first shinjûmono of Kabuki history [more details]. Jinbê produced this shinjûmono, starring the actors Murakami Ichinojô and Yamashita Hanzaemon I in the roles of the courtesan and her lover.

1691: Jinbê produced in Kyôto the drama "Ichi-no-Tani Sakaotoshi", in which he played the role of Kagekiyo.

11th lunar month of 1693: Jinbê played the role of Iwata Hiranojô in the drama "Hako Denju", which was produced in Kyôto by Murayama Heiemon III; his stage partners were Mizuki Tatsunosuke I, Ichikawa Danjûrô I, Tomizawa Samanosuke, Otowa Katsunojô, Uemura Takenojô and Onoe Taganojô I.

9th lunar month of 1694: Jinbê played in the same theater the role of Satsuma-no-Kami Tadanori in the drama "Kumagai Nagori no Sakazuki".

1st lunar month of 1699: Jinbê's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual].

1st lunar month of 1700: Jinbê produced in Kyôto the drama "Keisei Zen no Tsuna", in which he played the roles of Hiyô Jinshichi and Fukuyama Toranojô. The line-up included the actors Yoshizawa Ayame I, Mizuki Tatsunosuke I, Hayakawa Hatsuse, Onoyama Ujiemon, Onogawa Ugenji, Takenaka Kiyonosuke, Matsunaga Rokuroemon, Sugiyama Kanzaemon I and Fujimoto Heijûrô.

11th lunar month of 1700: Jinbê produced in Kyôto the kaomise drama "Daiichi Daiman" in which he played the role of Kuretake Ikuyonosuke.

1st lunar month of 1701: Jinbê produced in Kyôto at Hayagumo Chôdayû's theater the drama "Keisei Sagano no Hara", in which he played the role of Itoyanagi Sanzô. The line-up included the actors Sakata Tôjûrô I, Yoshizawa Ayame I, Mizuki Tatsunosuke I, Shinozuka Jirozaemon, Segawa Takenojô I, Takashima Onoe and Fujimoto Heijûrô.

3rd lunar month of 1702: Jinbê's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual].

7th lunar month of 1702: Jinbê played the role of Furuteya Hachirobê in the drama "Yotsubashi Mitsusegawa", which was produced in Ôsaka by Iwai Hanshirô II.

1st lunar month of 1703: Jinbê played the role of Himemaru Nuinosuke in Chikamatsu Monzaemon's drama "Keisei Mitsu no Kuruma", which was produced in Kyôto at Hayagumo Chôdayû's theater by his son Yamatoya Tôkichi.

1st lunar month of 1704: Jinbê played in the same theater the role of Urashima Tarosuke in the drama "Musume Chôja Hagoita no Eawase".

10th day of the 1st lunar month of 1704 ^[1]: Jinbê suddenly died.

Comments:

Yamatoya Jinbê II was both an actor and a nadai, who made a successful career in the cities of Kyôto and Ôsaka. His fields of excellence were wagoto, nuregoto, yatsushigoto and budôgoto. He was also a pioneer in the use of roppô.

Two of his brothers were famous Buddhist priests.

[1] The 10th day of the 1st lunar month of the 17th year of the Genroku era was the 14th of February 1704 in the western calendar.

Yamatoya Jinbê II in an ilustration from the book "Kokon Shibai Irokurabe Hyakunin Isshu" (1st lunar month of 1693)

Prints & Illustrations

The Yamatoya Jinbê line of actors and theater managers