Pen names:

Fukumori Kyûsuke I
Fukumori Kiusuke
Fukumori Shichisuke
Fukumori Kyûsuke I
Tamamaki Kyûji I	|  |
Okuda Kyûji
Shôhashi Kyûji

Line number: SHODAI (I)

Poetry name: Ichiyû

Existence: 1767 ~ 8th day of the 9th lunar month of 1818

Connection:

Masters: Tsuruya Nanboku IV, Namiki Gohei I, Sakurada Jisuke I, Tamamaki Keisuke

Disciples: Fukumori Kichisuke, Fukumori Kiichi

Career:

1767: born in Edo. His family manages a firewood wholesale business in Edo, district of Honjo Yotsume. The business is called Kawachiya (or Kôchiya?) and his family name is Kaneko. His father disinherited him when he was 18 or 19 years old.

1785: debut at the Kiriza; his first playwright name is Shôhashi Kyûji.

1786: he switches his name to Okuda Kyûji.

1787: he becomes a disciple of the sakusha Tamamaki Keisuke and receives the name of Tamamaki Kyûji (several possible writings).

1796: he takes the name of Fukumori Kyûsuke I.

11th lunar month of 1796: Kyûsuke works at the Kawarasakiza to assist the tatesakusha Sakurada Jisuke I, along with Muraoka Kôji I, on the kaomise drama "Itsukushima Yuki no Sugata Mise".

11th lunar month of 1797: Kyûsuke works at the Nakamuraza under the supervision of the tatesakusha Sakurada Jisuke I on the kaomise drama "Kaikei Kokyô no Nishikigi", which celebrates the shûmei of Arashi Shichigorô III.

11th lunar month of 1798: Kyûsuke becomes tatesakusha at the Nakamuraza, where his first kaomise drama "Hana no Mimasu Yoshino no Fukayuki" is staged. He works with Muraoka Kôji I.

11th lunar month of 1799: Kyûsuke is tatesakusha at the Nakamuraza, where he works with the help of Sakurada Jisuke I on the kaomise drama "Tametomo Yumiya no Oyafune", which celebrates the shûmei of Bandô Mitsugorô III.

11th lunar month of 1801: the kaomise drama "Otoko Narikeri Onna Masakado", which was written by Namiki Gohei I and Kyûsuke, is staged at the Ichimuraza and celebrates the shûmei of Omegawa Kyôjûrô, Matsumoto Kôshirô V, Ichikawa Komazô IV and Bandô Zenji II.

11th lunar month of 1802: Kyûsuke is tatesakusha at the Ichimuraza, working with Namiki Gohei I on the kaomise drama "Toki-ni Ôshû Tsubo no Ishibumi".

11th lunar month of 1803: Kyûsuke is tatesakusha at the Ichimuraza, working with Namiki Gohei I on the kaomise drama "Mutsu no Hana Monomi no Matsu".

11th lunar month of 1804: Kyûsuke works at the Nakamuraza to assist his master Sakurada Jisuke I, along with the sakusha Nagawa Shimesuke I and Matsushima Hanji I, on the kaomise drama "Kiku Zumô Mikurai Sadame", which celebrates the shûmei of Iwai Hanshirô V, Ichikawa Yaozô IV and Nakayama Bunshichi III, and welcomes in Edo the actors Segawa Rokô III and his adopted son Segawa Kamesaburô.

1st lunar month of 1806: Kyûsuke's new year drama "Mitsu no Homare Kaikei Soga" is staged at the Kawarasakiza.

3rd lunar month of 1809: premiere at the Moritaza of Kyûsuke's drama "Sono Mukashi Koi no Edo-zome" [casting].

5th lunar month of 1810: premiere at the Ichimuraza of Tsuruya Nanboku IV's drama "Ehon Gappô-ga-Tsuji"; Kyûsuke is one of the main collaborators in the sakusha team [casting].

11th lunar month of 1813: Kyûsuke works at the Nakamuraza to assist the tatesakusha Nagawa Issen, along with Segawa Jokô II, on the kaomise drama "Okudôsha Bandô Junrei", which welcomes in Edo the Kamigata actor Nakamura Matsue III and in which Bandô Mitsugorô III is zagashira for the first time.

11th lunar month of 1814: Kyûsuke works at the Nakamuraza on the kaomise drama "Ninin Muko Mikurai Sadame", which celebrates the shûmei of Onoe Baikô III, Onoe Matsusuke III, Segawa Tomisaburô III, Segawa Michinosuke II and Nakamura Denkurô V and welcomes in Edo the actor Nakamura Daikichi I.

11th lunar month of 1815: Kyûsuke's first name being similar to the newly-given first name of somebody in the Shôgun household, he has to change his name. He first uses Fukumori Shichisuke, then quickly switches to Fukumori Kiusuke; he works as tatesakusha, along with the sakusha Shinoda Kinji I and Hon'ya Sôshichi to assist him, on the kaomise drama "Shitennô Oedo no Kaburaya", which is staged at the Nakamuraza to celebrate the shûmei of Onoe Kikugorô III and Kataoka Gachô and welcomes in Edo the actor Sawamura Tanosuke II.

11th lunar month of 1817: Kiusuke works at the Nakamuraza to assist the tatesakusha Sakurada Jisuke II, along with Segawa Jokô II, on the kaomise drama "Hana to Yuki Wagô Taiheiki", which celebrates the shûmei of Bandô Mitsuemon I, Matsumoto Goroichi and Bandô Hidesuke.

1st lunar month of 1818: he takes back the name of Fukumori Kyûsuke I.

8th day of the 9th lunar month of 1818: Kyûsuke dies in Edo (the 7th of October 1818 in the western calendar).

Comments:

Fukumori Kyûsuke I was an important Edo sakusha, who worked on more than 100 original dramas. He had 3 nicknames: he was called Ataka no Kyûsuke (Ataka was the name of a district in Edo Honjo), Ankyû (an is the sino-japanese reading for the first ideogram of Ataka and kyû is the first ideogram of Kyûsuke) or Yakinaoshi no Kyûsuke (yakinaoshi means regrilling for a fish or a piece of meat but also rehashing/reworking for a piece of art). He received the nickname of Yakinaoshi no Kyûsuke because he recycled quite a lot of Kamigata dramas, originally created either by Namiki Gohei I or Tatsuoka Mansaku, in Edo Kabuki dramas, adding his own touch of romantic spirit. After the death of his father, he was forvigen by his family and inherited 200 ryô, making him a rich playwright. Mimasuya Nisôji wrote in his memories that no sakusha was able to make fortune, except Fukumori Kyûsuke I.

The name of Fukumori Kyûsuke I in a 1802 Edo hyôbanki (the name within the red box); all the names were the sakusha working at the Ichimuraza

The Tamamaki Kyûji line of playwrights

The Fukumori Kyûsuke line of playwrights