Stage names:

Namie Kokan I
Kojima Umenosuke
Takii Namie

Line number: SHODAI (I)

Existence: 1659 ~ ???

Connection:

Disciple: Namie Kokan II

Career:

1659 ~ 1679: born in Kyôto. He started his career in Kyôto performing under the name of Takii Namie. He settled with his mother in Ôsaka near the Shitennôji Temple, where he did different kind of works. Then, he became a travelling actor named Kojima Umenosuke.

1679: Umenosuke performed in Ôsaka in a Dôtonbori theater in the drama "Yûgiri Isshûki", which was produced by Araki Yojibê I and commemorated the 1st anniversary (2nd memorial service) of Yûgiri, who was the most famous courtesan in the Shinmachi pleasure quarter in Ôsaka and who died the 6th day of the 1st lunar month of 1678 ^[1].

1680: recorded in the book "Yakusha Hakkei"; later, he took the name of Namie Kokan I.

1682: Kokan worked as a wakaonnagata for Araki Yojibê I and Arashi San'emon I in Horie; his stage partners in the wakaonnagata section were Komatsu Sakon, Nishikawa Shôdayû, Yoshikawa Tamon I, Moriyama Yukie and Kozakura Sennosuke I; his stage partners in the tachiyaku section were Arashi San'emon I, Araki Yojibê I, Tashiro Seizaemon, Asajima Gentarô and Sakurai Wahei; his stage partners in the dôkegata section were Kamakura Shinzô and Sadoshima Denpachi.

1683: Kokan worked as a wakaonnagata for Araki Yojibê I in Ôsaka; his yearly salary was 90 ryô ^[2].

11th lunar month of 1686: Kokan performed as a wakaonnagata in Ôsaka at Arashi Monzaburô I's theater. His yearly salary was 75 ryô. His stage partners were Arashi San'emon I, Takeshima Kôzaemon I, Uemura Tatsuya, Sawamura Kodenji I, Hanai Saijirô, Kaneko Hikotarô, Kawashima Kazuma, Yoshijima Kodayû, Sawai Hannosuke, Matsumoto Hyôzô, Ichimura Shirôji, Ôyama Giemon, Iwakura Man'emon and Sendai Yahachi.

1st lunar month of 1687: recorded for the last time, in the hyôbanki "Yarô Tachiyaku Butai Ôkagami".

Comments:

Namie Kokan I was an important onnagata actor, who was born and trained in Kyôto and who was active in Ôsaka from the end of the 1670s to the second half of the 1680s. He was outstanding in nuregoto and his best role was Ono no Komachi.

[1] The 6th day of the 1st lunar month of the 6th year of the Enpô era was the 26th of February 1678 in the western calendar.

[2] Kokan had the 3rd best salary in the wakaonnagata section. The first was Okada Samanosuke (110 ryô) and the second was Kozakura Sennosuke I (100 ryô).

Matsumoto Hyôzô (left panel/top/1st from left), Namie Kokan I (left panel/top/2nd from left), Ôyama Giemon (left panel/center), Takeshima Kôzaemon I (left panel/bottom/2nd from right), Ichimura Shirôji (left panel/bottom/1st from right), Arashi San'emon I (right panel/1st from left) and Mizushima Shirobê (right panel/1st from right) on the stage of an Ôsaka theater in the 11th lunar month of 1686 (illustration from the 1686 hyôbanki "Naniwa Tachigiki Mukashi Banashi")

The Namie Kokan line of actors