Stage names:

Arashi San'emon II
Arashi Monzaburô I
Arashi Kantarô

Line number: NIDAIME (II)

Existence: 1661 ~ 7th day of the 11th lunar month of 1701 ^[1]

Connection:

Father: Arashi San'emon I

Son: Arashi San'emon III

Grandson: Arashi Kanshirô II

Son-in-law: Arashi Kanshirô I

Disciples: Arashi Sanshirô I, Arashi Kiyosaburô I, Arashi Sanjûrô I, Arashi Monjûrô

Career:

1661: born in Kamigata. He started his career at an unknown date, performing under the name of Arashi Kantarô.

1680: he took the name of Arashi Monzaburô I and became wakaonnagata.

11th lunar month of 1686: Monzaburô became zamoto in Ôsaka. His father decided to make him give up acting; later on, he was apprenticed to a candle dealer.

18th day of the 10th lunar month of 1690 ^[2]: his father Arashi San'emon I died.

11th lunar month of 1690: Arashi Monzaburô I was back on stage and took the name of Arashi San'emon II; he performed using the roppô technique, which was the trademark technique of his late father.

1st lunar month of 1695: San'emon produced in Ôsaka the drama "Jingû Kôgô", in which he played the role of Ôtomo Ren-no-Daijin.

1st lunar month of 1696: San'emon produced in Ôsaka Tominaga Heibê's drama "Kumano Sankaichô", in which he played the role of Yokozone Kazuma; his stage partners were Shibazaki Rinzaemon I, Asao Jûjirô I, Nishikawa Okanosuke, Dekishima Kozaburô, Otowa Saizaburô, Sakata Tôkurô, Takaoka Muraemon, Ichiya Gembei, Kamogawa Noshio I, Tashiro Seizaemon, Miyazaki Hachirozaemon, Mizuki Asanojô and Hayama Okaemon.

7th lunar month of 1696: San'emon produced in Ôsaka the drama "Kamakura Ominaeshi", in which he played the role of Soga Jûrô Sukenari; his stage partners were Shibazaki Rinzaemon I (Soga Gorô Tokimune), Asao Jûjirô I (Kewaizaka no Shôshô) and Nishikawa Okanosuke (Ôiso no Tora).

1st lunar month of 1698: San'emon's rank in the Kamigata hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô (superior) [visual].

1st lunar month of 1699: San'emon's rank in the Kamigata hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual].

1st lunar month of 1700: San'emon produced in Ôsaka the new year drama "Kamakura Shôgatsu Tsukai", in which he played the role of Soga Jûrô Sukenari; his stage partners were Shibazaki Rinzaemon I (Shigetada), Narukawa Genzaemon (Soga Gorô Tokimune), Mihara Jûdayû I (Kudô Saemon Suketsune), Ogino Sayonosuke (Kewaizaka no Shôshô) and Tamagawa Handayû (Tora).

Fall 1701: San'emon produced in Ôsaka the drama "Nagori no Sakazuki", in which he played 3 roles.

11th lunar month of 1701: San'emon went to Kyôto to produce the same drama in Miyako Mandayû's theater; he unfortunately suddenly died the 7th day of the 11th lunar month ^[1], before the opening day of the production.

Comments:

"The third famous actor of Tôjûrô's time was Arashi San'emon, the second. He was younger than Tôjûrô and Kyôemon, and died early. The first Arashi was his father, but the boy was evidently regarded as an ugly duckling, for his father did not consider that he possessed sufficient talent for a stage career, and he was apprenticed to a candle dealer, the business requiring him to travel from one place to another. When the elder Arashi was taken ill, the son was called to Ôsaka to take up the parental profession, and so had the difficult task of trying to live up to his father's reputation. At first the audience laughed at him, but as he had the same face and voice as his father, he soon attracted attention and came to be regarded as one of the leading actors. Indeed, he was considered in some respects superior to his father, especially in the art of love-making; he was genuine and unaffected, and possessed a well-shaped nose and fine eyes." (Zoë Kincaid in "Kabuki, the Popular Stage of Japan")

[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 18th day of the 10th lunar month of the 3rd year of the Genroku era was the 18th of November 1690 in the western calendar.

The actors Arashi San'emon II (left), Hanai Azuma (center) and Murayama Heijûrô I (right) playing the roles of Sakyô, the keisei Ôyodo and Tawara Magosaburô in the new year ni-no-kawari drama "Keisei Tamazusa no Miei", which was staged in Ôsaka in the 1st lunar month of 1701

Prints & Illustrations

The Arashi San'emon line of actors