Stage names:

Ichikawa Monnosuke I
Ichikawa Benjirô
Ichikawa Chônosuke

Nickname: Maruichi

Line number: SHODAI (I)

Poetry name: Shinsha

Blazon: a horizontal stroke (the ideogram for "one") in a circle

Existence: 1691 ~ 25th day of the 1st lunar month of 1729 ^[1]

Connections:

Master: Ichikawa Danjûrô II

Career:

1691 ~ 1713: born in Edo. He started his career as a disciple of Ichikawa Danjûrô II, who gave him the name of Ichikawa Chônosuke. Later, he took the name of Ichikawa Benjirô at an unknown date.

11th lunar month of 1713: Ichikawa Benjirô took the name of Ichikawa Monnosuke I at the Moritaza, performing as a wakashugata in the play "Yorimasa Daikyoku no Mato".

11th lunar month of 1714: Monnosuke played at the Moritaza the role of Shinra Saburô in the kaomise drama "Onna Ryûko Futatsu Gashira".

11th lunar month of 1715: Monnosuke played at the Moritaza the role of Chikaranosuke in Mitsushima Shichirôzaemon's drama "Hayazaki Onna Shimabara".

2nd lunar month of 1716: Monnosuke achieved a great success by performing in the same theater the role in the drama "Rakuyô Aigo no Waka".

11th lunar month of 1717: Monnosuke played at the Moritaza the role of Ôtô-no-Miya in Murase Genzaburô's kaomise drama "Hônô Taiheiki"; his stage partners were Ichikawa Danjûrô II, Hayakawa Dengorô, Ôtani Hiroemon I, Ogawa Zengorô I and Asao Jûjirô I.

9th lunar month of 1718: Monnosuke played in the same theater the role of Onatsu in the drama "Shikirei Imagawajô". The role of Seijûrô was played by Ichikawa Danjûrô II.

11th lunar month of 1718: Monnosuke performed at the Moritaza in the kaomise drama "Zenkunen Yoroi Kurabe"; his stage partners were Matsumoto Kôshirô, Sawamura Sôjûrô, Ôtani Hiroemon I, Mizuki Takejûrô, Tomizawa Hanzaburô I, Tamazawa Rin'ya and Asao Jûjirô I.

11th lunar month of 1720: Monnosuke played at the Moritaza the role of Minamoto no Raikô in the kaomise drama "Kaigô Sakiwake Shitennô".

1st lunar month of 1721: Monnosuke played in the same theater the role of the courtesan Ôiso no Tora in the new year sogamono drama "Nigiwai Suehiro Soga"; his stage partner in the role of Soga Jûrô Sukenari, Tora's lover, was Mimasuya Sukejûrô I.

11th lunar month of 1721: Monnosuke played at the Moritaza the role of Semimaru in the kaomise drama "Semimaru Yôrô no Taki", which celebrated the shûmei of Suzuki Heizaemon III.

1st lunar month of 1722: Monnosuke's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, wakashugata section, was jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1722: Monnosuke moved to the Nakamuraza and played the role of Kusunoki Masatsura in the kaomise drama "Hônen Taiheiki"; his stage partners were Ichikawa Danjûrô II (Nitta Yoshisada), Ôtani Hiroji I (Nagasaki Kageyu Saemon), Mimasuya Sukejûrô (Shinozuka Iga-no-Kami) and Tsuruya Nanboku I (Hata Rokurôzaemon).

1st lunar month of 1723: Monnosuke played in the same theater the role of Kyô no Jirô in the new year sogamono "Soga Koyomi Biraki".

11th lunar month of 1723: Monnosuke played at the Nakamuraza the role of Hôjô Tokimune in the kaomise drama "Sono Enpô Onna Migyôsho", which celebrated the arrival at the Nakamuraza of the Kamigata actors Yamashita Kinsaku I and Sanogawa Senzô.

1st lunar month of 1724: Monnosuke played in the same theater the role of the flowers seller Mikinosuke in the new year drama "Matsu Kazari Kamakura Biraki".

3rd lunar month of 1724: Monnosuke played in the same theater the role of Matsuwakamaru in the drama "Irifune Sumidagawa".

11th lunar month of 1724: Monnosuke played at the Nakamuraza the role of Ashikaga Yoshimasa in the kaomise drama "Taiheiki Okuni Kabuki".

1st lunar month of 1725: Monnosuke performed in the same theater in the new year drama "Funadama Izu Nikki".

11th lunar month of 1725: Monnosuke played at the Nakamuraza the role of Oniji in the kaomise drama "Oguri Chôseiden".

1st lunar month of 1726: Monnosuke played in the same theater the role of Minamoto no Raikô in the new year drama "Kadomatsu Shitennô", which commemorated the 22nd anniversary (23rd memorial service) of the passing away of late Ichikawa Danjûrô I.

11th lunar month of 1726: Monnosuke played at the Nakamuraza the role of Minamoto no Yoshiie in the kaomise drama "Kaomise Jûnidan"; his stage partner in the role of Wada Saemon was Matsumoto Kôshirô I.

1st lunar month of 1727: Monnosuke performed in the same theater in the new year sogamono drama "Yuzuri Gongen Soga".

11th lunar month of 1727: Monnosuke moved to the Moritaza and played one more time the role of Kusunoki Masatsura in the kaomise drama "Hônen Taiheiki"; his stage partners were Ichikawa Danzô I (Hata Rokurôzaemon), Tomizawa Hanzaburô I (Moronô), Sakata Hangorô I (Nagasaki Kageyu Saemon), Tamazawa Kôjûrô (Nitta Yoshisada), Fujimura Handayû II (Kusunoki Kikusui), Sodesaki Miwano I (Manjû no Mae), Tsuruya Nanboku I (Shinozuka Iga-no-Kami) and Yamamoto Hanasato (Kôtô-no-Naishi). This performance also celebrated the shûmei of the actor Tamazawa Kôjûrô.

1st lunar month of 1728: Monnosuke was supposed to perform in the same theater in the new year drama "Hatsu Midori Aioi Soga" but, likely because of a health problem, he had to stop acting and he could rest for a few months.

11th lunar month of 1728: Monnosuke was back on stage, at the Nakamuraza, playing the role of Ema no Koshirô in the kaomise drama "Hoshi Kabuto Goban Tadanobu".

25th day of the 1st lunar month of 1729 ^[1]: Monnosuke died in Edo ^[2].

Comments:

Ichikawa Monnosuke I was a wakashugata actor reputed for his beauty and his powerful voice. He was referred in the Kabuki chronicles as "wakashugata no Kaisan" ("the founder of the young boys roles") or "wakashugata no Meijin" ("the master/expert of the young boys roles").

[1] The 25th day of the 1st lunar month of the 14th year of the Kyôhô era was the 22nd of February 1729 in the western calendar.

[2] His tombstone was located in the Honseiji temple in the district of Fukagawa.

Ichikawa Monnosuke I in a print made by Torii Kiyotsune

Prints & Illustrations

The Ichikawa Monnosuke line of actors