YAGI NIEMON

Stage names:

Yagi Niemon
Arashi Sanjûrô I
Arashi Sanjûrô I
Yagi Sanjûrô

Line number: SHODAI (I)

Poetry name: Gaki

Existence: ??? ~ 1752 (?)

Connection:

Master: Arashi San'emon II

Sons: Arashi Daizaburô I, Arashi Sanjûrô II

Disciple: Arashi Tôjûrô

Career:

Before 1695: born in Ôsaka in the district of Tenma. His first stage name was Yagi Sanjûrô.

1695: he became a disciple of Arashi San'emon II and received the name of Arashi Sanjûrô I.

7th day of the 11th lunar month of 1701^[1]: his master Arashi San'emon II died.

Fall 1709: the actors Asao Jûjirô I, Fujikawa Buzaemon I and Sanjûrô went together to Edo.

11th lunar month of 1709: Sanjûrô performed at the Yamamuraza in the kaomise drama "Taihei Okuni Kabuki".

Fall 1710: Sanjûrô went back to Ôsaka.

11th lunar month of 1710: Sanjûrô produced at Shioya Kuroemon's theater the kaomise drama "Shusse Yakushi Jûnishin".

11th lunar month of 1711: Sanjûrô produced at Shioya Kuroemon's theater Azuma Sanpachi's kaomise drama "Tanba Tarô Kamado Shôgun", in which he played the role of Kyôshima Kanshichi.

3rd lunar month of 1712: Sanjûrô's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô-(shiro)kichi (superior - superior - (white) excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1712: Sanjûrô produced at Shioya Kuroemon's theater the kaomise drama "Mikawa no Kuni Yatsuhashi no Kura Saiwai Chôja".

11th lunar month of 1713: Sanjûrô produced at Shioya Kuroemon's theater the kaomise drama "Yoyo Meoto Tsuru no Mago"; he played the role of Nagisanosuke.

11th lunar month of 1714: Sanjûrô produced at Shioya Kuroemon's theater the kaomise drama "Bandai-ga-Ike no Tsurukame"; he played the role of Tsuruoka Kikutarô.

1st lunar month (spring?) of 1715: first Kabuki adaptation of Chikamatsu Monzaemon's drama "Daikyôji Mukashi Goyomi", which was entitled "Daikyôji" and was staged in Ôsaka; Sanjûrô played the role of Osan's father [casting].

11th lunar month of 1719: Sanjûrô played the role of Hiyoshi Mantarô in the kaomise drama "Chiyo no Ume Naniwa Kagami", which was produced in Kyôto by Sakakiyama Shirojûrô.

11th lunar month of 1722: Sanjûrô played in Kyôto at Miyako Mandayû's theater the role of Hachihiko Gennojô in the kaomise drama "Ôbashira Kogane no Sazare Ishi", which was produced by Segawa Kikunojô I.

11th lunar month of 1723: Sanjûrô produced at Ebisuya Kichirôbê's theater the kaomise drama "Manchô Chitose-gura", in which he played the role of Ôkagura Fukudayû, in reality Sanzaemon's younger brother Manjûrô.

11th lunar month of 1727: Arashi Sanjûrô I and his son Arashi Tomimatsu respectively took the names of Arashi Sanjûrô I (using a new writing with the "mountain" ideogram for san) and Arashi Sanjûrô II (using the classic writing with the "three" ideogram for san).

New writing (the first ideogram was the one for "mountain")	Classic writing (the first ideogram was the one for "three")
山十郎	三十郎
You need a Japanese Language Kit installed within your system in order to be able to read the characters

11th lunar month of 1728: Arashi Sanjûrô I took the name of Yagi Niemon, playing the role of Yamanouchi Kôsuke in the kaomise drama "Aioi Chôja Sangai-gura", which was produced by his son Arashi Sanjûrô II in Ôsaka.

1732: he took back the name of Arashi Sanjûrô I (classic writing) to go on tour in Nagoya, where he played the role of Bunzô in the drama "Keisei Hotoke no Hara".

1734: he took back the name of Arashi Sanjûrô I (new writing) to go on tour in Nagoya and Ise; his travelling and stage partners were Fujioka Daikichi, Ogino Yaegiri I, Tamiya Shirogorô, Sakakiyama Fujisaburô, Tatsuoka Someemon, Sawamura Sôgorô I, Sagawa Bunzô II, Fukuda Dan'emon, Ôtori Michiemon and Matsushima Hyôtarô. He took back the name of Yagi Niemon when he was back in Kamigata.

End of the 1730s or beginning of the 1740s: Niemon retired from the Kabuki world.

20th day of the 5th lunar month of 1750^[2]: his son Arashi Sanjûrô II died.

1752 (?): Niemon died.

Comments:

Yagi Niemon was a talented tachiyaku actor, who made most of his career in Kamigata during the first half of the 18th century. His field of excellence was wagoto, especially yatsushigoto.

[1] The 7th day of the 11th lunar month of the 14th year of the Genroku era was the 6th of December 1701 in the western calendar.

[2] The 20th day of the 5th lunar month of the 3rd year of the Kan'en era was the 23rd of June 1750 in the western calendar.

Yagi Niemon (left) and his son Arashi Sanjûrô II (right) playing the roles of Yamanouchi Kôsuke and Umebayashi Ôkura in the kaomise drama "Aioi Chôja Sangai-gura", which was staged in the 11th lunar month of 1728 in Ôsaka

Prints & Illustrations

The Arashi Sanjûrô line of actors