Stage name:

Itô Kodayû II

Line number: NIDAIME (II)

Existence: ??? ~ 1689

Connection:

Master: Itô Kodayû I

Disciples: Itô Kodayû III, Itô Shôdayû, Itô Kohachirô, Itô Rokusaburô (?)

Career:

6th lunar month of 1674: Kodayû performed as an onnagata in Kyôto at Ebisuya's theater; his stage partners were Fujita Koheiji, Komai Shôzaemon, Imamura Kumenosuke, Fujita Minanojô, Nanboku Sabu I, Nakajima Yaheita, Kaneko Rokuemon, Tamagawa San'ya, Dekijima Tanomo and Kumamoto Bun'emon.

Spring 1678: Kodayû played the role of the courtesan Yoshinodayû in the drama "Yoshino Miuke", which was staged in Kyôto at the Shijô Kitagawa no Shibai; his partner in the role of Kokuraya Genbê was Arashi San'emon I.

7th day of the 1st lunar month of 1678 ^[1]: Ôgiya Yûgiri, the most famous courtesan in the Shinmachi pleasure quarter in Ôsaka, died.

2nd lunar month of 1678: Kodayû played in Ôsaka the role of the courtesan Yûgiri in the drama "Yûgiri Nagori no Shôgatsu"; the role of Yûgiri's lover Fujiya Izaemon was played by Sakata Tôjûrô I. This was the beginning of the wagoto style.

Spring 1680: Kodayû went to Edo.

3rd lunar month of 1680: the very first sayaate scene in Kabuki history was staged at the Ichimuraza; Kodayû played the role of the courtesan Katsuragi [more details].

1st lunar month of 1681: publication in Kyôto of a special hyôbanki, mixing actors and courtesans in couples: Kodayû was associated to a courtesan named Kindayû.

Fall 1682: Kodayû went to Ôsaka for a short period of time. Then, he went back to Edo to perform at the Ichimuraza.

1st lunar month of 1684: Kodayû's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, was jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual].

3rd lunar month of 1684: Ichikawa Danjûrô I played for the first time the role of the wicked priest Narukami in the drama "Kadomatsu Shitennô" ("Narukami"), which was staged at the Nakamuraza. Ichikawa Danjûrô I was the author of the play and his stage partner in the role of Princess Taema was Kodayû.

1st lunar month of 1687: Kodayû's rank in "Yarô Tachiyaku Butai Ôkagami" was jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual]. He shared this ranking with Arashi San'emon I. He was the only actor performing in Edo to be listed in this book.

21st day of the 9th lunar month of 1687 ^[2]: his master Itô Kodayû I died.

1689: Kodayû died in Edo.

Comments:

Born and raised in Kyôto, the onnagata Itô Kodayû II achieved fame for himself not only in the Imperial City or in the Merchants City of Ôsaka, but also in Edo where he settled at the Ichimuraza at the beginning of the 1680s. He excelled in keisei roles and gave his name to a purple textile, which was called the Itô Ganoko. The name of this textile became the title of a novel, which was published after the death of Itô Kodayû II and featured this actor as the hero of this fictional book. He was nicknamed Shijô no Oyama (the onnagata of the district of Shijô, an important avenue in Kyôto) or Oyama Kodayû.

Itô Kodayû is mentioned in the old books as a noted onnagata. Saikaku commenting upon him wrote: "He is an onnagata by nature, his character being quiet and gentle".
(Zoë Kincaid in "Kabuki, the Popular Stage of Japan")

Itô Kodayû was active from 1674 to 1689 and was known as Oyama no Kaisan (the founding father of the onnagata).
(Takei Kyôzô in his article "An Acting in Early Kabuki")

[1] The 7th day of the 1st lunar month of the 6th year of the Enpô era was the 27th of February 1678 in the western calendar.

[2] The 21st day of the 9th lunar month of the 4th year of the Jôkyô era was the 26th of October 1687 in the western calendar.

Itô Kodayû II (right), in the company of Arashi San'emon I (left), as depicted in the illustrated book "Yarô Tachiyaku Butai Ôkagami"

Prints & Illustrations

The Itô Kodayû line of actors