SEGAWA KIKUNOJÔ II

Stage names:

Segawa Kikunojô II In Japanese
Segawa Kichiji II In Japanese | In Japanese

Other name:

Segawa Rokô II In Japanese

Nickname: Ôji Rokô

Guild: Hamamuraya

Line number: NIDAIME (II)

Poetry name: Rokô (2)

Blazon: the spray of tied cotton (yui wata)

Existence: 1741 ~ 13th day of the 3rd lunar month of 1773 [1]

Connections:

Adoptive father: Segawa Kikunojô I

Adopted son: Segawa Senjo

Disciples : Segawa Yûjirô I, Segawa Kichiji III, Segawa Otome, Segawa Sangorô

Career:

1741: born in the village of Ôji (close to Edo). He was the son of a rich farmer named Shimizu Hanroku. He was likely to be the illegitimate son of Segawa Kikunojô I. His first name was Gonjirô.

1745 ~ 1749: he was adopted by Segawa Kikunojô I and received the name of Tokuji at an unknown date.

2nd day of the 9th lunar month of 1749 [2]: his adoptive father Segawa Kikunojô I died.

9th lunar month of 1750: he took the name of Segawa Kichiji II at the Nakamuraza, performing the leading role of a Lion dance in the drama "Aki no Chô Katami no Tsubasa", which commemorated the 1st anniversary (2nd memorial service) of late Segawa Kikunojô I.

7th lunar month of 1751: Kichiji achieved a great success at the Nakamuraza, playing the role of Sankichi in the drama "Koi Nyôbô Somewake Tazuna" [casting].

11th lunar month of 1756: Segawa Kichiji II took the name of Segawa Kikunojô II at the Ichimuraza, performing in the dance "Momo Chidori Musume Dôjôji" in duo with Ichimura Uzaemon VIII. His performance was a huge success.

11th lunar month of 1757: Kikunojô played at the Nakamuraza the roles of Koshizuka in the kaomise drama "Onna Musha Kaijin Yashima".

1st lunar month of 1758: Kikunojô played in the same theater the role of Osome in the drama "Osome Hisamatsu", included in the new year sogamono drama "Toki Tsukaze Irifune Soga", sharing the stage with Ichikawa Danjûrô IV and Nakamura Kiyosaburô I in the roles of Kyûsaku and Hisamatsu.

9th lunar month of 1758: Kikunojô played in the same theater the role of Onui in the drama "Ono no Tôfû Aoyagi Suzuri"; his stage partner in the role of Ono no Tôfû was Ichikawa Danjûrô IV.

3rd lunar month of 1761: Kikunojô played at the Ichimuraza the role of the courtesan Agemaki in the drama "Sukeroku Yukari no Edo Zakura"; his stage partners were Ichimura Kamezô I (Sukeroku), Ichikawa Danjûrô IV (the shirozake seller Shinbê) and Sawamura Sôjûrô II (Ikyû).

24th day of the 5th lunar month of 1761 [3]: his disciple Segawa Sangorô died.

4th lunar month of 1762: Kikunojô achieved a great success at the Ichimuraza, dancing the seven roles of the dance-drama "Yanagi Hina Shochô no Saezuri". One of these roles was the first version of the famous dance "Sagi Musume".

Fall 1762: Kikunojô played at the Ichimuraza the role of Okaru in the drama "Kanadehon Chûshingura"; his stage partner in the roles of Yuranosuke and Hayano Kanpei was Onoe Kikugorô I.

11th lunar month of 1762: Kikunojô played at the Ichimuraza the role of Matsukaze in the kaomise drama "Kisoe Uta Sakae Komachi", which celebrated the shûmei of Ôtani Hiroji III.

2nd lunar month of 1763: Kikunojô played at the Ichimuraza the roles of Osugi, Kewaizaka no Shôshô and Ôiso no Tora in the new year sogamono drama "Fûjibumi Sakae Soga"; the roles of Soga Jûrô Sukenari (Tora's lover) and Soga Gorô Tokimune (Shôshô's lover) were played by Ichimura Uzaemon IX.

1st lunar month of 1764: Kikunojô's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, was jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual].

8th lunar month of 1765: Kikunojô played at the Nakamuraza the role of the courtesan Katsuragi in the drama "Keisei Fukubiki Nagoya", which commemorated the 16th anniversary (17th memorial service) of the passing away of late Segawa Kikunojô I; his stage partners were Ichikawa Danjûrô IV (the zegen Hachibê, Yoshiigahama no Tadanori), Matsumoto Shichizô II (Katsuragi's daughter Omina) and Ichikawa Komazô II (Nagoya Sanzaburô).

11th lunar month of 1766: Kikunojô played at the Ichimuraza the roles of Okuni and the courtesan Katsuragi in the kaomise drama "Higashiyama Dono Kabuki no Tsuitachi".

1st lunar month of 1767: Kikunojô played in the same theater the roles of the servant Otae, Kagekiyo's daughter Hitomaru, the Goddess Benzaiten and Yaoya Oshichi in the new year sogamono drama "Soga Yawaragi Soga".

2nd lunar month of 1767: first Kabuki adaptation, at the Ichimuraza, of Chikamatsu Hanji's puppet theater drama "Taiheiki Chûshin Kôshaku"; Kikunojô played the roles of Osono, Okumi and Orie [casting].

3rd lunar month of 1767: Kikunojô played in the same theater the role of the courtesan Tenmaya Ohatsu in the drama "Yoni Ôsaka Nitsui Meoto", which mixed Chikamatsu Monzaemon's dramas "Sonezaki Shinjû" and "Shinjû Yoi Gôshin"; the role of Ohatsu's lover Hiranoya Tokubê was played by Ichikawa Yaozô II.

4th lunar month of 1768: Kikunojô played at the Nakamuraza the role of Okaru in the drama "Kanadehon Chûshingura"; his stage partners are Nakamura Shichisaburô II (Ôboshi Yuranosuke) and Ichikawa Danjûrô IV (Teraoka Heiemon).

7th lunar month of 1768: the play "Natsu Matsuri Naniwa Kagami" was produced at the Nakamuraza for the first time; Kikunojô played the role of Otatsu [casting]. He also played the role of Princess Yuki in the drama "Gion Sairei Shinkôki"; the roles of Matsunaga Daizen and Tôkichi were played by Ichikawa Danjûrô IV and Nakamura Denkurô II.

8th lunar month of 1768: premiere at the Nakamuraza of the drama "Tenjiku Tokubê Kokyô no Torikaji"; Kikunojô played the role of Minoya Sankatsu [more details].

2nd lunar month of 1769: Kikunojô played at the Nakamuraza the leading role of the Lion dance "Aioi Jishi".

3rd lunar month of 1770: Kikunojô's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, was (shiro)ô-jô-jô-kichi (almost grand - superior - superior - excellent) [Visual].

11th lunar month of 1770: Kikunojô performed at the Ichimuraza in the kaomise drama "Meoto Giku Izu no Kisewata", which welcomed in Edo the Kamigata star Arashi Sangorô II and celebrated the shûmei of Bandô Hikosaburô III, Bandô Sanpachi II and Kikunojô's disciple Segawa Kichiji III.

1st lunar month of 1771: Kikunojô's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, was ô-jô-jô-kichi (grand - superior - superior - excellent) [Visual].

8th lunar month of 1771: Kikunojô performed at the Ichimuraza in the drama "Keisei Nagoya Obi" but he suddenly fell ill and had to rest up to the 2nd lunar month of 1772.

2nd lunar month of 1772: Kikunojô appeared on stage for the last time, in Edo at the Ichimuraza, where he performed in the drama "Wakaba no Kiku Kasumi no Wagaki". He fell ill and had to retire.

13th day of the 3rd lunar month of 1773 [1]: Kikunojô died in Edo.

Comments:

Segawa Kikunojô II made a dazzling career in Edo, becoming tateonnagata in 1758 at the age of seventeen, reaching the jô-jô-kichi and ô-jô-jô-kichi ranks respectively in 1764 and in 1771. From the beginning of the sixties, his popularity was so great that many features he used on stage became the latest fashion in the city of Edo, all of them named from his haimyô Rokô: a brown color (rokô cha, Rokô's brown), a hairstyle (rokô mage, Rokô's bun), a comb (rokô kushi) and a kimono belt (rokô obi).

[1] The 13th day of the 3rd lunar month of the 2nd year of the An'ei era was the 4th of April 1773 in the western calendar.

[2] The 2nd day of the 9th lunar month of the 2nd year of the Kan'en era was the 12th of October 1749 in the western calendar.

[3] The 24th day of the 5th lunar month of the 11th year of the Hôreki era was the 26th of June 1761 in the western calendar.

The Actor Segawa Kikunojô II
Artist: Torii Kiyomitsu I
Date: c. 1771
The Art Institute of Chicago (print in the public domain)

Prints & Illustrations

The Segawa Rokô line of actors

The Segawa Kichiji line of actors

The Segawa Kikunojô line of actors

 
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