Playwright names:

Matsui Kôzô I
Matsui Kôzô	|

Other name:

Shimaji Tôzô

Line number: SHODAI (I)

Existence: 1778 ~ 21st day of the 8th lunar month of 1828 ^[1]

Connection:

Masters: Matsui Yûsuke I, Namiki Gohei I

Disciple: Matsui Kôzô II

Career:

1778: born in Kamigata. He was a buddhist bonze for a while, before becoming a disciple of the Kamigata playwhright Namiki Gohei I. Then, he settled in Edo where he became a disciple of Matsui Yûsuke I, who gave him the name of Matsui Kôzô.

11th lunar month of 1798: Kôzô worked at the Moritaza, along with Kimura Benisuke, Kasanui Sensuke I, Shimizu Shôshichi I, Hon'ya Sôshichi and Katsu Hyôzô I, on the kaomise drama "Taiheiki Mitsugi no Funauta", which celebrated the shûmei of Ichikawa Aragorô I. Kôzô changed the writing of his first name:

11th lunar month of 1799: Kôzô received the patronage of Sawamura Sôjûrô III and Sawamura Gennosuke I; he worked at the Ichimuraza, along with Katsu Hyôzô I, Chikamatsu Monkyô and Matsushima Hanji I, on the kaomise drama "Utsukushiki Yuki no Sekai", which celebrated the shûmei of Ogino Izaburô II. Kôzô changed the writing of his first name:

11th lunar month of 1800: Kôzô worked at the Nakamuraza, along with Namiki Gohei I, Kimura Enbu and Kawatake Bunji, on the kaomise drama "Genji Kumo Kogane no Kumadori", which celebrated the return in Edo of Ichikawa Omezô I.

11th lunar month of 1801: Kôzô worked at the Nakamuraza, along with Segawa Jokô II and Katsu Hyôzô I, on the kaomise drama "Date Dôgutsui no Ôtori", which celebrated the shûmei of Bandô Hikozaemon I and Yamashita Mansaku.

11th lunar month of 1804: Kôzô worked at the Ichimuraza, along with Namiki Gohei I, Muraoka Kôji I and Shimizu Shôshichi I, on the kaomise drama "Mishi Tamadare Yuki no Furusato", which celebrated the shûmei of Suketakaya Takasuke II, Ichikawa Takinosuke and Kiriyama Monji III.

11th lunar month of 1805: Kôzô worked at the Ichimuraza, along with Namiki Gohei I, Muraoka Kôji I, Shimizu Shôshichi I and Shinoda Kinji I, on the kaomise drama "Keisei Yoshino no Kane".

11th lunar month of 1806: Kôzô worked at the Ichimuraza, along with Namiki Gohei I, Katsu Hyôzô I, Muraoka Kôji I, Shimizu Shôshichi I and Shinoda Kinji I ^[2], on the kaomise drama "Wakazakari Heike Monogatari", which welcomed in Edo the actors Bandô Hikosaburô III and Ichikawa Dannosuke III. The performance was interrupted the 13th day of the 11th lunar month by a sudden fire, which burned the theater to ashes and killed many members of the audience.

13th day of the 11th lunar month of 1806 ^[6]: a fire broke out from the shop of the hair-dresser Tomokurô in the district of Nihonbashi Fukiya-chô. It spread and reduced both the Ichimuraza and the Nakamuraza to ashes, killing many spectators.

11th lunar month of 1807: Kôzô worked at the Ichimuraza, along with Fukumori Kyûsuke I and Katsu Hyôzô I, on the kaomise drama "Kigoto no Hana Yashima Kaijin".

1st lunar month of 1808: Kôzô worked in the same theater on the new year sogamono drama "Tsuki no Ume Yawaragi Soga"; the roles of Kudô Saemon Suketsune, Soga Gorô Tokimune and Soga Jûrô Sukenari were played by Bandô Mitsugorô III, Onoe Eizaburô I and Sawamura Gennosuke I.

11th lunar month of 1808: Kôzô worked at the Ichimuraza, along with Katsu Hyôzô I (tatesakusha), Shimizu Shôshichi I and Sone Shôkichi I, on the kaomise drama "Irosoyuru Nidai Genji", which welcomed in Edo the Kamigata actor Sawamura Tanosuke II and celebrated the shûmei of Nakamura Rikô II.

1st day of the 1st lunar month of 1809 ^[7]: a fire broke out in the district of Nihonbashi Sanai-chô and destroyed both the Ichimuraza and the Nakamuraza. The new year sogamono was staged at the beginning of the 4th lunar month after the rebuilding of the Ichimuraza.

11th lunar month of 1809: Kôzô worked at the Nakamuraza, along with Segawa Jokô II (tatesakusha), Shinoda Kinji I and Tajima Konosuke I, on the kaomise drama "Ôshû Dachiyuki no Kurogoma", whose plot and characters belonged to the "Ôshû Adachi-ga-Hara" world.

1st lunar month of 1810: Kôzô worked in the same theater on the new year sogamono drama "Edo no Haru Gohiiki Soga"; the roles of Kudô Saemon Suketsune, Soga Gorô Tokimune and Soga Jûrô Sukenari were played by Bandô Hikosaburô III, Ichikawa Omezô I and Sawamura Gennosuke I.

11th lunar month of 1810: Kôzô worked at the Nakamuraza, along with Nagawa Tokusuke I (tatesakusha) and Hon'ya Sôshichi ^[3], on the kaomise drama "Yuki to Tsuki Hana no Kuronushi".

1st lunar month of 1811: Kôzô worked in the same theater on the new year sogamono drama "Sakaichô Maizuru Soga"; the roles of Kudô Saemon Suketsune, Soga Gorô Tokimune and Soga Jûrô Sukenari were played by Onoe Shôroku I, Onoe Matsusuke II and Sawamura Gennosuke I.

3rd lunar month of 1811: premiere at the Nakamuraza of the 7-role Nagauta-based hengemono "Osozakura Teniha no Nana Moji" which was written by Nagawa Tokusuke I, Shinoda Kinji I and Kôzô; the seven roles were performed by Nakamura Utaemon III ^[4].

11th lunar month of 1811: Kôzô worked at the Ichimuraza, along with Tsuruya Nanboku IV, on the kaomise drama "Itsukushima Yuki no Mitegura", which celebrated the shûmei of Sawamura Sôjûrô IV ^[5].

11th lunar month of 1812: Kôzô worked at the Ichimuraza, along with Shinoda Kinji I, on the kaomise drama "Gohiiki Megumi no Amagoi".

11th lunar month of 1813: Kôzô became tatesakusha and worked at the Ichimuraza, along with Sakurada Jisuke II, Shinoda Kinji I and Katsu Hyôsuke, on the kaomise drama "Modoribashi Sena-ni Gohiiki".

11th lunar month of 1814: Kôzô worked at the Ichimuraza, along with Tsuruya Nanboku IV (tatesakusha), Sakurada Jisuke II and Nagawa Kunisuke, on the kaomise drama "Sekai no Hana Sugawara Denju", which celebrated the shûmei of Ôtani Hiroemon IV and welcomed in Edo the actors Arashi Sangorô III, Nakayama Sharyû, Arashi Umatarô I and others minor actors.

1st lunar month of 1815: Kôzô worked in the same theater on the new year drama "Zôho Fujimi no Saigyô". He retired from the Kabuki world.

21st day of the 8th lunar month of 1828 ^[1]: Kôzô died in Edo.

Comments:

Matsui Kôzô I was born and raised in Kamigata and became an Edo sakusha, who worked on more than 60 dramas from the end of the 1790s to the middle of the 1810s. He often worked for Tsuruya Nanboku IV. His tsûshô was Honchô, which was also the name of the district in Edo where he lived.

[1] The 21st day of the 8th lunar month of the 11th year of the Bunsei era was the 29th of September 1828 in the western calendar.

[2] Others minor sakusha were Imamura Kichisuke, Namiki Gisuke and Takahashi Shôsuke.

[3] Matsui Kôzô I's disciple Matsui Shinkô was also part of the group of supporting sakusha (first participation in a kaomise drama).

[4] The 4th role is still part of the current repertoire and is staged under the title "Echigo Jishi".

[5] It was also the shûmei of the tatesakusha Tsuruya Nanboku IV and the minor actors Sawamura Kinpei II, Ichikawa Tsunejûrô and Bandô Denzaburô.

[6] The 13th day of the 11th lunar lunar month of the 3rd year of the Bunka era was the 22nd of December 1806 in the western calendar.

[7] The 1st day of the 1st lunar lunar month of the 6th year of the Bunka era was the 14th of February 1809 in the western calendar.

The name of Matsui Kôzô I in a 1814 Edo hyôbanki (the name within the red box)

The Matsui Kôzô line of playwrights