Stage names:

Somenoi Hanshirô	|  |
Fujita Chûgorô
Fujita Koheita

Poetry names: Saryû, Kisha

Existence: ???

Connection:

Disciple: Somenoi Utamatsu

Career:

Beginning of the 1710s: he started his career in Ôsaka in koshibai, performing at the Shijimigawa no Shibai as a tachiyaku. His first stage name was Fujita Koheita. Later, he switched to Fujita Chûgorô and performed in inaka shibai.

11th lunar month of 1714: he took the name of Somenoi Hanshirô and made his debut in ôshibai in Ôsaka, playing the roles of Danroku in the kaomise drama "Daikoku Shinmai Dawara", which was produced by Anegawa Shinshirô I.

1st lunar month of 1715: Hanshirô's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô (superior) [visual].

Fall 1718: Hanshirô went to Kyôto.

11th lunar month of 1718: Hanshirô played in Kyôto at Hayagumo Chôdayû's theater the role of Ôminato Naniwanosuke in the kaomise drama "Chôseiden Kogane no Ishizue", which was produced by Sakakiyama Shirotarô I.

1st lunar month of 1719: Hanshirô's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô (superior) [visual].

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

1st lunar month of 1721: Hanshirô played in Kyôto the role of the wakadono Muranojô in the new year ni-no-kawari drama "Keisei Tôyama Matsu", which was staged at Miyako Mandayû's theater.

11th lunar month of 1721: Hanshirô played in Kyôto at Miyako Mandayû's theater the role of Kameemon in the kaomise drama "Inari Fuku In'yô no Kanegura", which was produced by Sawamura Chôjûrô I.

1st lunar month of 1722: Hanshirô's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô (superior - superior) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1722: Hanshirô played in Kyôto at Hoteiya Umenojô's theater the role of the Aburaya tedai Shôsuke (in reality Nanaura Kanzaemon) in Yoshida Rôfu's kaomise drama "Aioi Ôshimadai", which was produced by Ogino Yaegiri I and welcomed in Kyôto the actor Kirinoya Gonjûrô I.

7th lunar month of 1723: first Kabuki adaptation in Kyôto of the puppet theater drama "Ôtô-no-Miya Asahi no Yoroi"; Hanshirô played the role of Doki Kurando Yoshikazu [more details].

11th lunar month of 1723: Hanshirô played in Kyôto the role of Yohachirô (in reality Komaki Shinnojô) in Fukuoka Yagoshirô's kaomise drama "Teono Hajime Kogane no Ishizue", which was produced by Segawa Kikunojô I.

11th lunar month of 1724: Hanshirô played at Hayagumo Chôdayû's theater the role of Izuminosuke in the kaomise drama "Sanmen Daikoku Mangoku Dawara", which was produced by Mihogi Gizaemon I and starred Bandô Hikosaburô I, Arashi Sangorô I, Katayama Kozaemon, Mihogi Shichitarô, Matsumoto Tomojûrô I, Matsunami Hikojûrô, Fujikawa Heikurô, Sodeshima Genji, Tsugawa Kamon, Yamamura Utanosuke, Kirinami Onoe and Onoe Gonbê (who celebrated his shûmei).

11th lunar month of 1727: Hanshirô played in Kyôto at Miyako Mandayû's theater the role of the umakata Ude no Sansuke, in reality Tokiwa Sasaemon, in the kaomise drama "Masu Kagami Eitai Gura", which was produced by Ichiyama Sukegorô I.

1st lunar month of 1728: Hanshirô's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô-(shiro)hankichi (superior - superior - (white) half excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1729: Hanshirô played in Kyôto at Daikokuya Takenojô's theater the role of Tamukeyama Genjûrô in Azuma Sanpachi's kaomise drama "Yomeiri Shichigosan", which was produced by the zamoto Arashi Koroku I.

1st lunar month of 1730: Hanshirô's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô-(shiro)kichi (superior - superior - (white) excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1730: Hanshirô played in Kyôto the role of Yonegura Tatewaki in Sawamura Bunji's kaomise drama "Inari Yakata Manpô no Kura", which was produced by Arashi Koroku I at Hayagumo Chôdayû's theater.

1st lunar month of 1731: Hanshirô's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, fell to jô-jô-(shiro)hankichi (superior - superior - (white) half excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1731: Hanshirô played the roles of Imagawa Nakaaki and Rôikkan in the kaomise drama "Hiragana Imagawajô", which was produced in Kyôto at Miyako Mandayû's theater; his stage partners were Nakamura Tomijûrô I, Nakamura Shingorô I, Sanogawa Mangiku, Tomizawa Montarô I, Yashio Ikuemon, Anegawa Chiyosaburô I and Arashi San'emon III.

9th lunar month of 1732: first Kabuki adaptation of Matsuda Bunkôdô and Hasegawa Senshi puppet theater drama "Dan no Ura Kabuto Gunki", which was produced in Kyôto by Sakakiyama Shirotarô I at Miyako Mandayû's theater; Kazaemon played the role of Konda no Jirô Chikatsune [casting].

11th lunar month of 1732: Hanshirô played in Kyôto at Kameya Kumenojô's theater the role of Naniwazu Tôzô in the kaomise drama "Hayazaki Kogane no Hanabusa"; his stage partners were Ichiyama Sukegorô I, Arashi Kanshirô I, Nakamura Kiyosaburô I, Tomizawa Montarô I, Matsushima Moheiji, Kirinami Takie, Fujioka Daikichi, Shinozuka Kazaemon and Arashi Koroku I.

11th lunar month of 1733: Hanshirô played at Kameya Kumenojô's theater (Kyôto) the role of the kannushi Tokudayû in the kaomise drama "Chôseiden Kogane no Shikigawara", which was produced by Sakakiyama Shirotarô I.

Fall/Winter 1734: Hanshirô went on tour in Nagoya to perform at the Seijuin no Shibai.

12th lunar month of 1735: Hanshirô was back in Kyôto and played at Kameya Kumenojô's theater the role of Ikuno Saemon in the drama "Onna Tokimasa Gunpô Hinagata".

1st lunar month of 1736: Hanshirô's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was back to jô-jô-(shiro)kichi (superior - superior - (white) excellent) [visual].

Fall 1737: Hanshirô went back to Ôsaka.

11th lunar month of 1737: Hanshirô played at the Ônishi no Shibai the role of the farmer Fujinomori Kichizô in the kaomise drama "Uta Kurabe Kachidoki no Ume", which was produced by Yoshizawa Ayame II.

1st lunar month of 1738: Hanshirô's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô-(shiro)kichi (superior - superior - (white) excellent) [visual].

2nd lunar month of 1739: Hanshirô became zamoto in Ôsaka and produced at the Sakurabashi no Shibai the drama "Ten no Amijima Hiyoku no Futamon", in which he played the role of Kamiya Jihê. This drama was similar to Chikamatsu Monzaemon's masterpiece "Shinjû Ten no Amijima"; the roles of Koharu, Magoemon and Osan were played by Ichimura Tamagashiwa II, Sakakiyama Koshirô I and Ikushima Kashiwagi I.

Fall 1739: Hanshirô went to Kyôto.

11th lunar month of 1739: Hanshirô played at Ebisuya Kichirôbê's theater the role of the yakko Kajisuke in the kaomise drama "Senzai Yakata Kogane no Shikigawara", which was produced by Arashi Koroku I.

1st lunar month of 1740: Hanshirô's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô-(hanshiro)kichi (superior - superior - (half-white) excellent) [visual].

1st lunar month of 1741: no record in any Kamigata hyôbanki; was he sick or on tour?

Fall 1742: Hanshirô went back to Ôsaka.

11th lunar month of 1742: Hanshirô played at the Kado no Shibai the role of Ashiwake Wadanojô in the kaomise drama "Sangoku Denrai no Ishi", which was produced by Iwai Hanshirô III.

1st lunar month of 1743: Hanshirô's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô-(hanshiro)kichi (superior - superior - (half-white) excellent) [visual]. He shared the same rank with Sakurayama Shirosaburô II and Yamashita Matatarô I.

11th lunar month of 1743: Hanshirô played at the Kado no Shibai the role of Mita no Tomotsuna in the kaomise drama "Tanshû Teteuchi Guri", which was produced by Ichiyama Sukegorô I. This was his last-recorded performance in ôshibai. No record afterwards.

Comments:

Somenoi Hanshirô was an Ôsaka tachiyaku, who was active in Kamigata from the beginning of the 1710s to the first half of the 1740s. He was very popular (his last ranking in 1744 was jô-jô-(hanshiro)kichi, really close to the prestigious jô-jô-kichi ranking), had a great stage presence and was notable for his kôseki (good voice and good at delivering lines). He was better in sewamono than in jidaimono dramas. In his latter years, he was said to be both an actor and a playwright but we did not find any evidence of any drama on which he might have worked. His family name was written 3 different ways: the classic writing with 3 ideograms (the official writing), a writing with 2 ideograms only and a writing with 2 ideograms separated with a character coming from a Japanese syllabary.

Somenoi Hanshirô (left) and Matsumoto Tomojûrô I (right) playing the roles of Yonegura Tatewaki and Fuji Sezaemon in the kaomise drama "Inari Yakata Manpô no Kura", which was staged in the 11th lunar month of 1730 in Kyôto