Stage names:

Takeshima Kôzaemon II
Takeshima Kôjûrô

Line number: NIDAIME (II)

Existence: ???

Connection:

Adopted (?) father: Takeshima Kôzaemon I

Sons: Takeshima Kôzaburô, Takeshima Kôzaemon III

Career:

11th lunar month of 1694: son or adopted son of Takeshima Kôzaemon I, he became tachiyaku and performed under the name of Takeshima Kôjûrô.

Fall 1698: Kôjûrô went to Edo. He performed in 1699 at the Moritaza.

Fall 1699: Kôjûrô went back to Ôsaka.

11th lunar month of 1699: Kôjûrô became zamoto and produced in Ôsaka the drama "Daimyô Takara no Fukubiki".

11th lunar month of 1709: Kôjûrô produced in Kyôto at Kameya Kumenojô's theater the kaomise drama "Takekaburi Mangokumochi".

3rd lunar month of 1710: Kôjûrô's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô (superior - superior) [visual].

Fall 1711: Kôjûrô went to Ôsaka.

11th lunar month of 1711: Kôjûrô played the role of the yakko Danpei, in reality Oki-no-Ishi Banzaemon, in the kaomise drama "Daimyô Hitachi Obi", which was produced by Arashi San'emon III for the nadai Ôsaka Kuzaemon.

3rd lunar month of 1712: Kôjûrô's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô-(shiro)kichi (superior - superior - (white) excellent) [visual]. He shared the same rank with Arashi Sanjûrô I.

24th day of the 11th lunar month of 1712 ^[1]: his father Takeshima Kôzaemon I died in Kyôto.

11th lunar month of 1713: Kôjûrô played in Ôsaka the role of Yamada Yaichibê in the kaomise drama "Saiwai Musume Takara no Yome Banzei Muko", which was produced at Ôsaka Tazaemon's theater by Shinozuka Shômatsu I.

1st lunar month of 1714: Kôjûrô's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual]. He shared the same rank with Sawamura Chôjûrô I.

1st lunar month of 1715: Kôjûrô's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, fell to jô-jô-(hanshiro)kichi (superior - superior - almost excellent). He shared the same rank with Arashi Sanjûrô I and Sugiyama Heihachi.

11th lunar month of 1715: Takeshima Kôjûrô took the name of Takeshima Kôzaemon II in Ôsaka at the Ônishi no Shibai, playing the role of Hige Monbê in the kaomise drama "Ugashin Kogane no Hokora"; his stage partners were Sawamura Chôjûrô I, Onogawa Ugenji, Arashi Kanshirô I, Sodeshima Genji, Murayama Jûrobê, Sawano Hachigorô, Yamamura Giemon I, Arakawa Jûrôemon and Fujimura Oginojô.

1st lunar month of 1716: Kôzaemon's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was back to jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual]. He shared the same rank with Sawamura Chôjûrô I, Otowa Jirosaburô I and Miyazaki Denkichi.

11th lunar month of 1717: Kôzaemon played at the Naka no Shibai the role of Seki no Danpei in the kaomise drama "Inari Yashiki Daikoku Bashira", which was produced by Sawamura Chôjûrô I.

12th lunar month of 1717: Kôzaemon played in the same theater the role of Ôtsuka Hanzaemon in the kiri kyôgen "Ôsaka Shinjû Hajimari" ^[2].

11th lunar month of 1718: Kôzaemon became zamoto in Ôsaka, producing at the Naka no Shibai Azuma Sanpachi's kaomise drama "Sumiyoshi Tanjôseki", in which he played the role of the yakko Heinai.

1st lunar month of 1720: first Kabuki adaptation of Chikamatsu Monzaemon's puppet theater drama "Heike Nyogo no Shima", which was produced by Kôzaemon in Ôsaka at the Naka no Shibai; Kôzaemon played the roles of the priest Mongaku and Noto-no-Kami [casting].

11th lunar month of 1720: Kôzaemon produced at the Naka no Shibai the the kaomise drama "Daimyô Nishiki no Kusazuri", in which he played the role of Onosaka Dennai [illustration].

11th lunar month of 1722: Kôzaemon produced at the Naka no Shibai the kaomise drama "Odori Hotei", in which he played the role of Yarimochi Daizô.

11th lunar month of 1723: Kôzaemon played in Kyôto the roles of Miki Sagoemon and Yatahachi in the kaomise drama "Tatsu Goyomi Daishô Wagô no Tsurugi", which was produced by Ogino Yaegiri I.

1st lunar month of 1724: Kôzaemon played in Kyôto at Hoteiya's theater the role of Heidayû in the new year drama "Keisei Sone no Matsu", which was produced by Ogino Yaegiri I. This was his last-recorded stage apperance. No record afterwards.

Comments:

Takeshima Kôzaemon II was a popular Kamigata tachiyaku actor, who was active from the middle of the 1690s to the beginning of the 1720s. He was like his father (or adoptive father?) outstanding in budôgoto roles.

[1] The 24th day of the 11th lunar month of the 2nd year of the Shôtoku era was the 22nd of December 1712 in the western calendar.

[2] This drama was a shinjûmono based on the story of Chôemon and his lover Ichinojô. The 17th day of the 5th lunar month of the 3rd year of the Tenna era (the 11th of June 1683 in the western calendar), the courtesan Yamatoya Ichinojô and her lover Goze no Chôemon committed suicide together in Ôsaka. This event caused quite a stir and three Ôsaka theaters decided to capitalize on the situation by simultaneously producing the same month the first shinjûmono of Kabuki history.

Takeshima Kôzaemon II playing the role of Seki no Danpei in the kaomise drama "Inari Yashiki Daikoku Bashira", which was staged in the 11th lunar month of 1717 at the Naka no Shibai

Prints & Illustrations

The Takeshima Kôzaemon line of actors