Stage names:

Bandô Yasosuke
Morita Kan'ya IX
Morita Matakichi

Guild: Kinojiya

Poetry names: Zankyô ^[6], Minsha, Kikô

Line number: KUDAIME (IX)

Existence: ??? ~ 22nd day of the 5th lunar month of 1851 ^[1]

Connections:

Grandfather: Morita Matazaemon (Morita Kan'ya V)

Father: Bandô Yasosuke I (Morita Kan'ya VIII)

Career:

???: born in Edo at an unknown date. His father Morita Kan'ya VIII gave him the name of Morita Matakichi.

11th lunar month of 1801: Morita Kan'ya VIII and his son Morita Matakichi respectively took the names of Bandô Yasosuke I and Morita Kan'ya IX at the Kawarasakiza, performing in the drama "Ume ni Suisen Iro no Udezuku"; the new Kan'ya became the official zamoto of the closed Moritaza.

2nd day of the 10th lunar month of 1802 ^[4]: his grandfather Morita Matazaemon (Morita Kan'ya V) died.

1st lunar month of 1805: Kan'ya went to Ôsaka and played at the Kado no Shibai the roles of Araguma Tarô and Kudô Saemon Suketsune in the new year drama "Matta Shibaraku Imairi Sugata".

4th lunar month of 1805: Kan'ya played in the same theater the role of Hôjô Tokimasa in the drama "Ômi Genji Senjin Yakata".

5th lunar month of 1808: the Moritaza, which was closed since 1800, reopened.

6th lunar month of 1809: premiere at the Moritaza of Katsu Hyôzô I's drama "Okuni Gozen Keshô no Sugatami"; Kan'ya played the roles of Nagoya Kosanza, Kanaya no Kingorô and Ashikaga Yoshimasa [casting].

22nd day of the 2nd lunar month of 1814 ^[3]: his father Bandô Yasosuke I died.

3rd lunar month of 1814: Kan'ya played at the Moritaza the role of Koganosuke in the drama "Imoseyama Onna Teikin".

11th lunar month of 1814: Kan'ya produced at the Moritaza the kaomise drama "Fuyu Botan Yuki no Jinmaku". The family theater went bankrupt and the performances had to stop.

11th lunar month of 1814 ~ 10th lunar month of 1817: the Moritaza went bankrupt; Kan'ya gave his licence for Kabuki performances to Kawarasaki Gonnosuke V, the manager of the Kawarasakiza, the hikae yagura of the Moritaza.

Fall 1816: Kan'ya went to Ôsaka and played in the 11th lunar month at the Naka no Shibai the role of Shigehira in the drama "Gosho Zakura Horikawa no Youchi".

11th lunar month of 1817: the Moritaza reopened; the opening program including the great dance-drama "Tsumoru Koi Yuki no Seki no To", starring Ichikawa Omezô I, Bandô Matajûrô, Kan'ya and Azuma Tôzô IV in the roles of Kuronushi, Munesada, Komachi and the spirit of the cherry tree.

7th lunar month of 1818 ~ 10th lunar month of 1822: the Moritaza went bankrupt; Kan'ya gave his licence for Kabuki performances to Kawarasaki Gonnosuke V, the manager of the Kawarasakiza, the hikae yagura of the Moritaza.

11th lunar month of 1822: the Moritaza reopened; the opening program also included the shûmei of Iwai Shijaku I.

5th lunar month of 1823 ~ 10th lunar month of 1833: the Moritaza went bankrupt; Kan'ya gave his licence for Kabuki performances to Kawarasaki Gonnosuke V, the manager of the Kawarasakiza, the hikae yagura of the Moritaza.

21st day of the 3rd lunar month of 1829 ^[2]: a fire broke out from the shop of Owariya Tokuemon, in the district of Kanda Sakuma-chô. It spread and destroyed the Edo theaters district. The Moritaza, the Ichimuraza and the Nakamuraza were burnt to ashes.

5th lunar month of 1830: Morita Kan'ya IX, who decided to retire, and Bandô Sanpachi III respectively took the names of Bandô Yasosuke ^[5] and Morita Kan'ya X.

22nd day of the 5th lunar month of 1851 ^[1]: Yasosuke died in Edo.

Comments:

Morita Kan'ya IX was both a tachiyaku actor and the tenth manager of the Moritaza from 1808 to 1823. He had hard times to keep the family business up and running because of the heavy burden of the theater debts and went bankrupt three times during his career.

[1] The 22nd day of the 5th lunar month of the 4th year of the Kaei era was the 21st of June 1851 in the western calendar.

[2] The 21st day of the 3rd lunar month of the 12th year of the Bunsei era was the 24th of April 1829 in the western calendar.

[3] The 22nd day of the 2nd lunar month of the 11th year of the Bunka era was the 12th of April 1814 in the western calendar.

[4] The 2nd day of the 10th lunar month of the 2nd year of the Kyôwa era was the 28th of October 1802 in the western calendar.

[5] He was never acknowledged as an official holder of the name.

[6] Others possible readings: Zankô, Sankyô or Sankô.

Morita Kan'ya IX playing the role of Atsumori in the drama "Ichi-no-Tani Futaba Gunki", which was staged in the 6th lunar month of 1808 at the Moritaza (print made by Utagawa Toyokuni I)

The Bandô Yasosuke line of actors

The Morita Kan'ya line of actors and theater managers