Stage names:

Bandô Sanpachi I
Bandô Matahachi I

Other name: Ôta Sanjûrô

Guild: Yamatoya

Line number: SHODAI (I)

Poetry name: Heikyû

Existence: ??? ~ 11th day of the 1st lunar month of 1770 ^[1]

Connections:

Father: Yamatoya Matahachi (Nakamura Koyata)

Master: Ichimura Uzaemon VIII

Adopted son: Bandô Mitsugorô I

Disciple: Bandô Sanpachi II

Career:

??? ~ 1745: he was the son of Yamatoya Matahachi, who was a wakashugata playing under the name of Nakamura Koyata from 1703 to 1707. He started his career as a shamisen player performing at the Ichimuraza under the name of Ôta Sanjûrô.

1745: he decided to be an actor, became a disciple of Ichimura Uzaemon VIII and received the name of Bandô Matahachi I.

1st lunar month of 1746: Matahachi appeared on stage for the first time, at the Ichimuraza, as a katakiyaku, playing the role of Miura no Yoichi in the new year sogamono drama "Kikeba Mukashi Soga Monogatari".

1st lunar month of 1750: Matahachi achieved a great success at the Ichimuraza by playing the role of Kobayashi no Asahina in the new year sogamono drama "Kayôkami Chidori Soga".

11th lunar month of 1750: Bandô Matahachi I took the name of Bandô Sanpachi I at the Ichimuraza, playing the role of the nyûdô Yuasa Magoroku in the kaomise drama "Gaijin Taiheiki".

2nd lunar month of 1751: Sanpachi became tachiyaku, achieving a great success by playing in the same theater the role of Yabo Daijin in the drama "Hatsuhana Sumidagawa".

11th lunar month of 1751: Sanpachi played at the Ichimuraza the roles of Taira no Munemori and Matano no Gorô in the kaomise drama "Kamimukae Nigiwai Genji", which celebrated the shûmei of Bandô Hikosaburô II and welcomed in Edo the Kamigata actor Arashi Shichigorô I.

1st lunar month of 1752: Sanpachi played in the same theater the role of Tsuruwakamaru in the new year sogamono drama "Suzuriha Sugatami Soga".

7th lunar month of 1752: Sanpachi played in the same theater the role of Sasara Sanpachi in the drama "Hitokanade Taihei Nagoya".

11th lunar month of 1752: Sanpachi played at the Ichimuraza the role of Kanawa Gorô in the kaomise drama "Ume Sakura Ninin Semimaru".

1st lunar month of 1753: Sanpachi played in the same theater the role of Kobayashi no Asahina in the new year sogamono drama "Haru Fukami Iroha Soga".

7th lunar month of 1753: the play "Hirakana Seisuiki" was performed for the first time in Edo, at the Ichimuraza; Sanpachi played the role of Kajiwara Heiji Kagetaka [casting].

11th lunar month of 1753: Sanpachi played at the Ichimuraza the role of Ôe Iwato Saemon in the kaomise drama "Kamuri Kurabe Yatsushi Kuronushi", which celebrated the arrival in Edo of the actor Kasaya Matakurô I.

11th lunar month of 1754: Sanpachi played at the Ichimuraza the role of the Hayami Tetsudômaru in the kaomise drama "Keisei Asakusa no Kane".

11th lunar month of 1755: Sanpachi performed at the Ichimuraza in the kaomise drama "Kashiwa-ga-Tôge Kichirei Sumô".

11th lunar month of 1756: Sanpachi moved to the Nakamuraza and played the role of Bandô Tarô in the kaomise drama "Masakado Shôzoku no Enoki", which celebrated the arrival of Arashi Tominosuke I in Edo.

11th lunar month of 1757: Sanpachi played at the Nakamuraza the roles of Araoka Genta and Dekurobei in the kaomise drama "Onna Musha Kaijin Yashima".

11th lunar month of 1758: Sanpachi moved to the Moritaza and played the role of Shibuya no Konnômaru in the kaomise drama "Akazawa Genjiyama".

11th lunar month of 1759: Sanpachi moved to the Ichimuraza and played the role of Sasara Sanpachi in the kaomise drama "Okunizome Shusse Butai".

11th lunar month of 1760: Sanpachi moved to the Nakamuraza but there was no kaomise drama this year.

3rd lunar month of 1761: Sanpachi played at the Nakamuraza the roles of Akogi no Heiji and Ise no Saburô in the drama "Ai no Yama Onna Katakiuchi".

11th lunar month of 1761: Sanpachi moved to the Moritaza and performed in the kaomise drama "Misonô Banzei no Hachinoki".

4th lunar month of 1762: Sanpachi played in the same theater the role of Momonoi Wakasanosuke in the drama "Kanadehon Chûshingura".

7th day of the 5th lunar month of 1762 ^[2]: his master Ichimura Uzaemon VIII died.

11th lunar month of 1762: Sanpachi played at the Moritaza the aragoto role of Toriumi Yasaburô in the kaomise drama "Tôzai Tôzai Wagakuni no Umeyashiki", which celebrated the shûmei of his disciple Bandô Matahachi II.

2nd lunar month of 1763: first Kabuki adaptation of the puppet theater drama "Ôshû Adachi-ga-Hara", which was staged at the Moritaza; Sanpachi played the role of Bunji [casting|illustrations].

11th lunar month of 1763: Sanpachi performed at the Moritaza in the kaomise drama "Ume ya Suisen Izu no Irifune", which celebrated the shûmei of Nakamura Sukegorô II and welcomed in Edo the Kamigata actors Kiriyama Monji I and Arashi Hinaji.

8th lunar month of 1764: Sanpachi played in the same theater the role of Taroku in the drama "Ono no Tôfû Aoyagi Suzuri".

Fallf 1764: Sanpachi went to to Ôsaka.

11th lunar month of 1764: Sanpachi performed at the Naka no Shibai in the kaomise drama "Tatsu no Miya Yunzei Kotobuki", which was produced by Mimasu Daigorô I.

12th lunar month of 1764: Sanpachi played in the same theater the role of Dankurô in the drama "Shin Usuyuki Monogatari".

5th lunar month of 1765: Sanpachi played in the same theater the role of Tsuribune Sabu in the drama "Natsu Matsuri Naniwa Kagami"; the roles of Danshichi Kurobê and Issun Tokubê were played by Mimasu Daigorô I and Arashi Kichisaburô I.

11th lunar month of 1765: Sanpachi played at the Naka no Shibai the roles of the yakko Mikanpei and Kuro no Gorobê (in reality Musashibô Benkei) in the kaomise drama "Ôzatsuki Shuen no Kachidoki" ^[3], which was produced by Mimasu Daigorô I and Nakamura Utaemon I.

5th lunar month of 1766: Sanpachi played in the same theater the role of Koshina Danjô in the drama "Honchô Nijûshikô".

Fall 1766: Sanpachi and his adopted son Takeda Minosuke went together to Edo.

11th lunar month of 1766: Sanpachi played at the Ichimuraza the roles of Arajishi Otokonosuke and Matahei in the kaomise drama "Higashiyama Dono Kabuki no Tsuitachi"; his adopted son Bandô Mitsugorô I celebrated his shûmei at the Moritaza.

1st lunar month of 1767: Sanpachi played in the same theater the role of Yawata no Saburô in the new year sogamono drama "Soga Yawaragi Soga".

2nd lunar month of 1767: first Kabuki adaptation, at the Ichimuraza, of Chikamatsu Hanji's puppet theater drama "Taiheiki Chûshin Kôshaku"; Sanpachi played the roles of Jiroemon and Amakawaya Gihei [casting].

11th lunar month of 1767: Sanpachi performed at the Ichimuraza in the kaomise drama "Nue Shigedô Sakiwake Yûsha".

8th lunar month of 1768: Sanpachi played in the same theater the role of Sukune Tarô in the drama "Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami".

11th lunar month of 1768: Sanpachi performed at the Ichimuraza in the kaomise drama "Otokoyama Yunzei Kurabe".

5th lunar month of 1769: Sanpachi played in the same theater the roles of Yoichibê and Teraoka Heiemon in the drama "Kanadehon Chûshingura"; the roles of Okaru and Yuranosuke were played by Nakamura Matsue I and Sawamura Sôjûrô II.

9th lunar month of 1769: Sanpachi appeared on stage for the last time, in Edo at the Ichimuraza, performing in the drama "Ono no Tôfû Aoyagi Suzuri".

11th day of the 1st lunar month of 1770 ^[1]: Sanpachi died.

Comments:

Bandô Sanpachi I was a good tachiyaku and katakiyaku, who excelled in jitsugoto and yakko aragoto roles. He was the first actor in the Bandô clan to use Yamatoya as a yagô. He did not reach the jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) level in the Edo hyôbanki but his best rank was not far from this level of excellence.

[1] The 11th day of the 1st lunar month of the 7th year of the Meiwa era was the 6th of February 1770 in the western calendar.

[2] The 7th day of the 5th lunar month of the 12th year of the Hôreki era was the 28th of June 1762 in the western calendar.

[3] There were two zamoto at the Naka no Shibai, Mimasu Daigorô I and Nakamura Utaemon I, and there were two kaomise dramas produced in this theater. Nakamura Utaemon I produced the two dramas and Mimasu Daigorô I produced only the second drama. The two dramas had a different casting but used the same title "Ôzatsuki Shuen no Kachidoki".

Bandô Sanpachi I playing the role of Arajishi Otokonosuke in the kaomise drama "Higashiyama Dono Kabuki no Tsuitachi", which was staged in the 11th lunar month of 1766 at the Ichimuraza (print made by Torii Kiyomitsu I)

The Bandô Matahachi line of actors

The Bandô Sanpachi line of actors