Stage names:

Asao Kunigorô III
Asai Kunigorô [1]

Guild: Matsubaya

Line number: SANDAIME (III)

Poetry names: Kishô, Kizan

Existence: 1769 ~ 19th day of the 1st lunar month of 1835 ^[2]

Connection:

Master: Asao Kuzaemon I ^[3]

Disciple: Asao Kunigorô IV (?) ^[4]

Career:

Before 1798: disciple of Asai Kuzaemon, his first stage name was Asai Kunigorô ^[1].

1798: he received the name of Asao Kunigorô III.

8th lunar month of 1800: Kunigorô played in Kyôto in the precincts of the Inaba Yakushi temple the roles of Akizuki Daizen and Akizuki Daitarô in the drama "Shin Usuyuki Monogatari".

1st lunar month of 1805: Kunigorô's rank in the Kamigata hyôbanki, katakiyaku/jitsuaku section, was jô-jô-(shiro)kichi (superior - superior - (white) excellent) [visual].

3rd lunar month of 1805: Kunigorô played at the Naka no Shibai the roles of Sagisaka Bannai, Ôta Ryôchiku and Horibe Yajibê in the drama "Kanadehon Chûshingura".

11th lunar month of 1805: Kunigorô played at the Minamigawa no Shibai the role of Musashibô Benkei in the drama "Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura".

12th lunar month of 1805: Kunigorô played at the Naka no Shibai the role of Musashibô Benkei in the drama "Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura".

4th lunar month of 1809: Kunigorô played at the Naka no Shibai the roles of Shiratayû and Shundô Genba in the drama "Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami".

3rd lunar month of 1810: Kunigorô played at the Naka no Shibai the roles of Ono no Kudayû and Ôta Ryôchiku in the drama "Kanadehon Chûshingura".

9th lunar month of 1810: Kunigorô played at the Kado no Shibai the roles of Musashibô Benkei and Kataoka Hachirô in the drama "Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura".

11th lunar month of 1814: Kunigorô played at the Kita-Horie Ichi-no-Gawa Shibai (Ôsaka) the role of Yazaemon in the "Sushiya" scene of the drama "Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura"; the roles of Igami no Gonta, Yasuke and Osato were played by Mimasu Daigorô III, Nakayama Bunshichi III and Ogino Kinshi.

11th lunar month of 1817: Kunigorô played at the Kitagawa no Shibai the roles of Soga no Emiji and Sakura no Tsubone in the drama "Imoseyama Onna Teikin".

4th lunar month of 1819: Kunigorô played at the Kado no Shibai the role of Ono no Sadakurô in the drama "Kanadehon Chûshingura".

1st lunar month of 1823: Kunigorô's rank in the Kamigata hyôbanki, jitsuaku section, was one little rank below jô-jô-kichi [visual]. He shared the same rank with Ôtani Tomoemon II and Asao Okuyama III.

3rd lunar month of 1824: Kunigorô played at the Kado no Shibai the role of Ono no Kudayû in the drama "Kanadehon Chûshingura".

22nd day of the 8th lunar month of 1824 ^[5]: his master Asao Kuzaemon I died.

11th lunar month of 1825: Kunigorô played at the Kado no Shibai in the kaomise drama "Ume no Naniwa Hayazaki Genji", which celebrated the shûmei of Nakayama Bungorô II; his others stage partners were Onoe Kikugorô III, Fujikawa Tomokichi II and Arashi Koroku IV (who makes his last stage appearances).

12th lunar month of 1826: Kunigorô played at the Kado no Shibai the role of Suruga Jirô in the drama "Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura".

4th lunar month of 1827: Kunigorô played at the Kita-Horie Ichi-no-Gawa Shibai (Ôsaka) the role of Ono no Kudayû in the drama "Kanadehon Chûshingura".

1st lunar month of 1829: Kunigorô's rank in the Kamigata hyôbanki, katakiyaku/jitsuaku section, was jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual].

3rd lunar month of 1830: Kunigorô played at the Kado no Shibai the roles of Yakushiji Jirozaemon and Ôta Ryôchiku in the drama "Kanadehon Chûshingura".

2nd lunar month of 1832: Kunigorô played at the Kado no Shibai the role of Soga no Emiji in the drama "Imoseyama Onna Teikin".

1833 ~ 1835: Kunigorô's name did not appear anymore in any Kabuki hyôbanki.

19th day of the 1st lunar month of 1835 ^[2]: Kunigorô died in Ôsaka.

Comments:

Asao Kunigorô III was a popular 19th century Kamigata actor, who excelled in jitsuaku, katakiyaku and fukeoyama roles. He was short-sighted (chikame in Japanese) and was therefore nicknamed Chikakuni (the kuni comes from Kunigorô).

[1] Not recorded in Nojima Jusaburô's book "Kabuki Jinmei Jiten". In this book, Asai Kunigorô was the first stage name of Asao Kunigorô I, not Asao Kunigorô III.

[2] The 19th day of the 1st lunar month of the 6th year of the Tenpô era was the 16th of February 1835 in the western calendar.

[3] His master was Asao Kunigorô II according to Nojima Jusaburô's book "Kabuki Jinmei Jiten".

[4] Assumption to be proved.

[5] The 22nd day of the 8th lunar month of the 7th year of the Bunsei era was the 14th of September 1824 in the western calendar.

Asao Kunigorô III playing the role of the tedai Danpachi in the drama "Gokusaishiki Musume Ôgi", which was staged in the 7th lunar month of 1826 at the Naka no Shibai

Print made by Shunkôsai Hokushû in 1822

Print made by Utagawa Kunihiro in 1827

The Asao Kunigorô line of actors