Stage names:

Katayama Kozaemon
Katagiri Kanzaemon
Katayama Kozaemon
Matsushima Shôroku
Matsushima Karyû	|  |
Takeshima Tamanoi

Existence: 1690 ~ 20th day of the 6th lunar month of 1728 ^[1]

Connection:

Adoptive father: Matsushima Han'ya II

Adopted son: Katayama Tokujûrô

Career:

Before 1694: he performed as a koyaku in Edo at the Ichimuraza; his first stage name was Takeshima Tamanoi.

1694: he was adopted by Matsushima Han'ya II and received the name of Matsushima Karyû. He also became quickly wakaonnagata.

End of 1704 or beginning of 1705: he went to Kamigata.

1st lunar month of 1705: he became tachiyaku and took the name of Matsushima Shôroku, performing in the new year ni-no-kawari drama "Keisei Oki no Ishi", which was produced by Kataoka Nizaemon I.

11th lunar month of 1706: Shôroku performed in Ôsaka in the kaomise drama "Ebisu Otoko Onna Daigoku Hashira Gatame", which was produced by Kataoka Nizaemon I.

11th lunar month of 1709: Shôroku became katakiyaku and performed in Ôsaka in the kaomise drama "Maiôgi Masaki no Kazura", which was produced by Ogino Yaegiri I.

Fall 1710: Shôroku went to Kyôto.

11th lunar month of 1710: he took the name of Katayama Kozaemon and played in Kyôto at Kameya Kumenojô's theater the role of a karô in the kaomise drama "Kenkon Daikoku Bashira", which was produced by Kataoka Sanpei.

3rd lunar month of 1711: Kozaemon's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, katakiyaku section, was jô-jô (superior - superior) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1714: Kozaemon became tachiyaku and performed in Kyôto in Sadoshima Saburôzaemon's kaomise drama "Yorozuyo Saiwai Gura", which was staged at Miyako Mandayû's theater.

Fall 1716: Kozaemon went to Ôsaka.

11th lunar month of 1716: he took the name of Katagiri Kanzaemon and performed in Ôsaka at the Higashi no Shibai in the kaomise drama "Futahashira Kasen Kagami", which was produced by Arashi Sangorô I.

1st lunar month of 1717: Kozaemon's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-(shiro)jô (superior - (white) superior) [visual].

Fall 1717: Kozaemon went to Kyôto.

11th lunar month of 1717: he took back the name of Katayama Kozaemon and performed in Sakakiyama Kansuke I's kaomise drama "Ômu Gaeshi Momotose Gitsune", which was produced by Sakakiyama Shirotarô I at Hayagumo Chôdayû's theater.

1st lunar month of 1718: Kozaemon's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô (superior - superior) [visual].

3rd lunar month of 1718: Kozaemon's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was two black strokes above jô-(shiro)jô (superior - (white) superior) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1718: Kozaemon played in Kyôto the role of Mikami Hayatonosuke in Adachi Saburôzaemon's kaomise drama "Shiga no Miyako Kogane no Hanazono", which is produced by Yamatoyama Jinzaemon I for the nadai Ebisuya Kichirôbê.

1st lunar month of 1719: Kozaemon's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô (superior - superior) [visual]. He played in the same theater the role of Tamatsukuri Daihachi in the new year ni-no-kawari "Keisei Naniwadera".

3rd lunar month of 1719: Kozaemon's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô-(shiro)hankichi (superior - superior - (white) half excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1719: Kozaemon played the role of the umakata Uchide no Koroku in the kaomise drama "Chiyo no Ume Naniwa Kagami", which was produced in Kyôto by Sakakiyama Shirojûrô.

11th lunar month of 1720: Kozaemon played in Kyôto the role of Iwagaki Jûrobei at Miyako Mandayû's theater in the kaomise drama "Gosha no Yonegura Fukki no Aimuko", which was produced by Sawamura Chôjûrô I.

11th lunar month of 1721: Kozaemon played in Kyôto at Miyako Mandayû's theater the role of Asakuma Tokinojô in the kaomise drama "Inari Fuku In'yô no Kanegura", which was produced by Sawamura Chôjûrô I.

11th lunar month of 1722: Kozaemon played in Kyôto at Hoteiya Umenojô's theater the role of the yakko Manohei in Yoshida Rôfu's kaomise drama "Aioi Ôshimadai", which was produced by Ogino Yaegiri I and welcomed in Kyôto the actor Kirinoya Gonjûrô I.

11th lunar month of 1723: Kozaemon became jitsuaku and played in Kyôto the role of Tatewaki in the kaomise drama "Tatsu Goyomi Daishô Wagô no Tsurugi", which was produced by Ogino Yaegiri I.

1st lunar month of 1724: Kozaemon's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, jitsuaku section, was jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual]. He performed in the same theater in the new year ni-no-kawari drama "Keisei Sone no Matsu".

3rd lunar month of 1724: Kozaemon's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, jitsuaku section, was jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1724: Kozaemon switched back to tachiyaku and performed at Hayagumo Chôdayû's theater in the kaomise drama "Sanmen Daikoku Mangoku Dawara", which was produced by Mihogi Gizaemon I.

1st lunar month of 1725: Kozaemon's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô-(shiro)hankichi (superior - superior - (white) half excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1725: Kozaemon performed in Kyôto at Miyako Mandayû's theater in the kaomise drama "Sanpukutsui Eiga no Shikishi", which was produced by Mihogi Gizaemon I.

1st lunar month of 1726: Kozaemon's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô-(shiro)kichi (superior - superior - (white) excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1726: Kozaemon was in Kyôto in the troupe led by the zamoto Segawa Kikujirô I but there was no kaomise program.

Fall 1727: Dan'emon went to Edo with Fukuda Dan'emon.

11th lunar month of 1727: Kozaemon performed at the Ichimuraza in the kaomise drama "Goshozome Kôyô Gunki", which celebrated the return in Edo of the actor Bandô Hikosaburô I.

1st lunar month of 1728: Kozaemon's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô-(shiro)kichi (superior - superior - (white) excellent) [visual]. He performed in the same theater in the new year drama "Urashima Tarô Shichise no Mago". This was Kozaemon's last appearance on stage as he fell ill in Edo.

20th day of the 6th lunar month of 1728 ^[1]: Kozaemon died in Edo.

Comments:

Katayama Kozaemon was an actor who started and ended his career in Edo but who spent most of it in Kamigata (mainly in Kyôto). He was a tachiyaku actor, who was active from the 1700s to the end of the 1720s. He was also able to perform as a katakiyaku or a jitsuaku. He reached the prestigious jô-jô-kichi rank only for 1 season as a jitsuaku.

[1] The 20th day of the 6th lunar month of the 13th year of the Kyôhô era was the 26th of July 1728 in the western calendar.

Ôshima Kajûrô (top/left), Katayama Kozaemon (top/center), Uemura Kiyosaburô (top/right), Fujikawa Kinjûrô (bottom/left) and Yashio Ikuemon (bottom/right) playing the roles of the monk Renshinbô, Mikami Hayatonosuke, the keisei Ichikawa, Shinohara Dônosuke and Ohara Minbu in the kaomise drama "Shiga no Miyako Kogane no Hanazono", which was staged in the 11th lunar month of 1718 in Kyôto