Stage names:

Kiriyama Monji I
Kiriyama Monji
Kiriyama Tsutaemon

Line number: SHODAI (I)

Existence: ???

Connection:

Father: Kiriyama Sôshichi

Career:

Before 1743: born in Kyôto. Son of the Kabuki actor Kiriyama Sôshichi, his first stage name is Kiriyama Tsutaemon.

11th lunar month of 1743: Tsutaemon becomes katakiyaku and plays in Kyôto the role of Ochiai Jingohei in the kaomise drama "Wakamidori Hatsumenbako", which is produced by Arashi Matsunojô at Ebisuya Kichirôbê's theater.

Fall 1744: he settles in Ôsaka.

11th lunar month of 1744: Kiriyama Tsutaemon takes the name of Kiriyama Monji at the Naka no Shibai, playing the role of Ôenosuke in the kaomise drama "Keisei Makura Gundan", which is produced by Anegawa Shinshirô I.

11th lunar month of 1745: Monji plays at the Ônishi no Shibai the role of Honda Naizen in the kaomise drama "Tônai Tarô Danjiri Roppô", which celebrates the shûmei of Arashi Shinpei I and Arashi San'emon IV. He also changes the second ideogram of his first name for these kaomise performances:

You need a Japanese Language Kit installed within your system in order to be able to read the characters

11th lunar month of 1750: Monji plays at the Naka no Shibai the role of the umakata Ichizô in the kaomise drama "Yasa Heike Sakiwake Musha", which is produced by Nakamura Jûzô I.

12th lunar month of 1750: Monji plays in the same theater the role of Tosa Shôgen Mitsunobu in the drama "Keisei Tôyama Zakura" (similar to Chikamatsu Monzaemon's drama "Keisei Hangonkô"), which is produced by the zamoto Nakamura Jûzô I for the nadai Shioya Kuroemon [casting].

3rd lunar month of 1751: Monji's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, katakiyaku section, is jô-jô-(shiro)kichi (superior - superior - (white) excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1752: Monji becomes jitsuaku and plays at the Ônishi no Shibai the role of the farmer Tetsubei in the kaomise program "Kyô Miyage Matsuri Zoroe", which is produced by Sanjô Sadasuke and celebrates the shûmei of both Wakayama Shinkurô and Wakayama Bunshichi; others stage partners are Yamamoto Kyôshirô I, Ôtani Hirohachi I, Iwata Somematsu I, Matsushima Kiyosaki, Ichimura Sanohachi, Kirishima Gizaemon I, Matsushima Moheiji, Takenaka Heikichi, Murayama Heijûrô IV and Nakamura Shirogorô III.

1st lunar month of 1753: Monji's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, jitsuaku section, is one black stroke above jô-jô-(shiro)kichi (superior - superior - (white) excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1753: Monji plays at the Kado no Shibai the role of Akaboshi Gorozaemon in Fujikawa Sakoku's kaomise drama "Kashû Narihira Ishi".

1st lunar month of 1754: Monji's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, jitsuaku section, is two black strokes above jô-jô-(shiro)kichi (superior - superior - (white) excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1754: Monji performs at the Naka no Shibai in the kaomise drama "Amaterasu Ômikami Iwado no Akebono", which is produced by Arashi San'emon IV.

1st lunar month of 1755: Monji's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, jitsuaku section, is jô-jô-(hanshiro)kichi (superior - superior - (half-white) excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1755: Monji plays at the Ônishi no Shibai the role of Kataoka Hachirô in the kaomise drama "Genpei Ôgi Awase", which is produced by Anegawa Shinshirô II.

11th lunar month of 1756: Monji plays at the Ônishi no Shibai the role of Mihara Ikkaku in Namiki Shôzô I's kaomise drama "Daimatsu Kyokusuke Tanzen Roppô", which is produced by Daimatsu Kyokusuke.

1st lunar month of 1757: premiere at the Ônishi no Shibai of Namiki Shôzô I's drama "Tenjiku Tokubê Kikigaki Ôrai"; Monji plays the roles of Miyoshi Chôkei, the taikô Tabê and the yakko Akinai [casting].

1st lunar month of 1757: Monji's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, jitsuaku section, falls to two black strokes above jô-jô-(shiro)kichi (superior - superior - (white) excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1757: Monji plays at the Ônishi no Shibai the role of Sagara Jôsuke in the kaomise drama "Shiki Sanban Okina Kagami".

1st lunar month of 1758: Monji's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, jitsuaku section, is back to jô-jô-(hanshiro)kichi (superior - superior - (half-white) excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1758: Monji plays at the Naka no Shibai the role of Takuma Gennoshin (in reality Shôgun Tarô Yoshikado) in the kaomise drama "Shitennô Chikara Kurabe", which is produced by Arashi Kichisaburô I and celebrates the shûmei of Fujikawa Hanzaburô III.

7th lunar month of 1759: Monji plays in the same theater the roles of Mikawaya Giheiji and Tsuribune Sabu in the drama "Niwasuzumi Gozen Kabuki", which mixes the sekai of "Ariwara Keizu", "Natsu Matsuri" and "Oguri Hangan"; the roles of Danshichi Kurobê and Issun Tokubê are played by Yamamoto Kyôshirô I and Ichinokawa Hikoshirô II.

11th lunar month of 1759: Monji plays at the Naka no Shibai the role of Matano no Gorô in the kaomise drama "Mibae Soga Azuma Tanzen", which is produced by Arashi Kichisaburô I.

1st lunar month of 1760: Monji's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, jitsuaku section, is one black stroke above jô-jô-(hanshiro)kichi (superior - superior - almost excellent) [visual].

7th lunar month of 1760: Monji plays in the same theater the role of Kajiwara Heizô Kagetoki in the drama "Hirakana Seisuiki".

11th lunar month of 1760: no kaomise. Is he sick or on tour?

11th lunar month of 1761: Monji plays at the Kado no Shibai the role of Migami Genmotsu, in reality Taira no Tomomori, in the kaomise drama "Sôtsui Hoshi Kamakura Kagami", which is produced by Nakayama Bunshichi I.

1st lunar month of 1762: Monji's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, jitsuaku section, falls to one black stroke above jô-jô-(shiro)kichi (superior - superior - (white) excellent) [visual].

4th lunar month of 1762: Monji plays in the same theater the role of Rôikkan in the drama "Kokusen'ya Gassen"; the roles of Watônai and Kinshôjo are played by Nakayama Shinkurô I and Nakamura Tomijûrô I.

11th lunar month of 1760: no kaomise. Is he sick or on tour?

Fall 1763: Monji, Arashi Hinaji, Yamashita Handayû and Nakamura Hachizô go together to Edo.

11th lunar month of 1763: Monji plays at the Moritaza the role of Ôba Saburô in the kaomise drama "Ume ya Suisen Izu no Irifune", which celebrates the shûmei of Nakamura Sukegorô II.

1st lunar month of 1764: Monji's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, jitsuaku section, falls to jô-jô-hankichi (superior - superior - half excellent).

2nd lunar month of 1764: Monji plays in the same theater the role of Ômi no Kotôta in the new year sogamono drama "Tagasode Yosooi Soga".

11th lunar month of 1764: Monji plays at the Moritaza the role of Hokkyô Yûzen, in reality Fujiwara no Chikata, in the kaomise drama "Gyosei Kanatami no Megumi", which welcomes in Edo the Kamigata actor Sawamura Kunitarô I.

Fall 1765: Monji goes back to Kyôto.

11th lunar month of 1765: Monji plays in Kyôto at the Kitagawa no Shibai the role of Ishigami Sandayû, in reality Ishizu Takaemon, in the kaomise drama "Takara-Kita-Yama Kogane no Ishizue".

1st lunar month of 1766: Monji's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, jitsuaku section, is jô-jô-(hanshiro)kichi (superior - superior - (half-white) excellent) [visual]. Monji plays in the same theater the role of Tawara Daikaku in the ni-no-kawari drama "Keisei Miyako no Fuji".

11th lunar month of 1766: Monji plays at the Minamigawa no Shibai the role of Togashi Daizen in the kaomise drama "Yuki no Asa Daimonjitsu Miyako no Fuku", which is produced by Ichiyama Sukegorô II and Yamashita Kyônosuke.

1st lunar month of 1767: Monji's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, jitsuaku section, falls to jô-jô-hankichi (superior - superior - half excellent). Monji plays in the same theater the role of Iwaki Kenmotsu in the ni-no-kawari drama "Keisei Ôuchi Zakura". This is his last-recorded performance. We don't know what happens to him afterwards for he disappears from the records.

Comments:

Kiriyama Monji I was a Kyôto katakiyaku actor, who was active from the middle of the 1740s to the second half of the 1760s and achieved fame for himself in Ôsaka. He reached the peak of his popularity in 1760 and declined afterwards. He stayed in Edo for two seasons from 1763 to 1765 but this was not really a successful stay.

The actors Kiriyama Monji I (left), Nakamura Jûzô I (center) and Fujikawa Heikurô (right) playing the roles of Washizuka Kenmotsu, Momoi Saemon Terumoto and Yoshioka Kenpô in the drama "Dôchû Sengandoi", which was staged in 12th lunar month of 1754 at the Naka no Shibai

The Kiriyama Monji line of actors