Stage names:

Yamashina Shirojûrô
Narukawa Shirojûrô
Yamashina Shinzô

Guild: Fukuyoshiya

Poetry name: Gozan ^[1]

Existence: ??? ~ ???

Connection:

Master: Yamashina Tokuemon

Career:

1760s: he made his apprentice with Yamashina Tokuemon, who gave him the name of Yamashina Shinzô.

1768: he went on tour in Nagoya, where he took the name of Narukawa Shirojûrô and performed in a troupe led by Bandô Manzô.

1769: he took the name of Yamashina Shirojûrô in Nagoya.

1770: he settled in Edo at the end of the year.

1st lunar month of 1771: Shirojûrô appeared on stage for the first time in Edo ôshibai, at the Moritaza where he played the role of Kyô no Jirô in the new year sogamono drama "Ehô Soga Nennen Goyomi".

5th lunar month of 1771: Shirojûrô played in the same theater the role of Minamoto no Yoshitsune in the drama "Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura".

11th lunar month of 1774: Shirojûrô performed at the Nakamuraza in the kaomise drama "Kaomise Ama no Iwato".

1st lunar month of 1775: Shirojûrô's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô-(shiro)hankichi (superior - superior - (white) half excellent) [visual].

6th lunar month of 1776: tour in Kôfu; Shirojûrô played in the precinct of the Kyôanji Temple the role of Danshichi Kurobê in the drama "Natsu Matsuri Naniwa Kagami"; the roles of Issun Tokubê, Tsuribune Sabu and Otatsu were played by Bandô Mitsugorô I, Arashi Otohachi II and Yamashita Kinsaku II.

11th lunar month of 1779: Shirojûrô played at the Moritaza the role of Ono no Yoshizane in the kaomise drama "Uta Kurabe Tôsei Moyô", which celebrated the shûmei of Ichikawa Yaozô III.

4th lunar month of 1780: first Kabuki adaptation of Utei Enba, Kijô Tarô and Yô Yôdai puppet theater drama "Go Taiheiki Shiraishi Banashi". The play was staged in Edo at the Moritaza; Shirojûrô played the roles of Kusunoki Masashige and Kusuhara Fuden [casting].

9th lunar month of 1780: Shirojûrô played in the same theater the role of Kurosuke in the drama "Genpei Nunobiki no Taki".

11th lunar month of 1780: Shirojûrô played at the Moritaza the role of Kurando Nakakane in the kaomise drama "Tokimekiya Oedo no Hatsuyuki", which celebrated the arrival in Edo of the Kamigata star Arashi Hinasuke I.

3rd lunar month of 1781: Shirojûrô played in the same theater the roles of Hara Gôemon and Horibe Yajibê in the drama "Kanadehon Chûshingura".

11th lunar month of 1781: Shirojûrô performed at the Moritaza in the kaomise drama "Sakikaese Yuki no Miyoshino", which welcomed in Edo the Kamigata minor actors Arashi Konomatsu, Onoe Kokichi and Onoe Kosaburô.

5th lunar month of 1782: Shirojûrô played in the same theater the role of Taira Kenjô Naokata in the drama "Ôshû Adachi-ga-Hara".

8th lunar month of 1782: Shirojûrô played at the Moritaza the role of Genryû in the drama "Koko ga Otoko no Tatehiki Tokoro", which welcomed in Edo the actors Nakamura Jûzô II and Bandô Matajûrô II.

11th lunar month of 1782: Shirojûrô performed at the Ichimuraza in the kaomise drama "Ise Heiji Eika Goyomi".

6th lunar month of 1783: Shirojûrô played in the same theater the roles of Hara Gôemon and Kanpei's mother Okaya in the drama "Kanadehon Chûshingura".

11th lunar month of 1783: Shirojûrô played at the Ichimuraza the role of Sakagaki Hyôbu in the kaomise drama "Kuruma Gakari Tekuda no Gunbai".

Fall 1784: the Ichimuraza went bankrupt and its license was given to the Kiriza.

11th lunar month of 1784: Shirojûrô played at the Kiriza the role of Fujiwara no Mototsune in the kaomise drama "Jûni Hitoe Komachi Zakura".

11th lunar month of 1785: Shirojûrô performed at the Kiriza in the kaomise drama "Otokoyama Furisode Genji", which celebrated the shûmei of Bandô Mitsugorô II.

11th lunar month of 1786: Shirojûrô performed at the Moritaza in the kaomise drama "Onna Musha Kiku no Sen'yoki", which celebrated the shûmei of Sawamura Kameemon and Nakamura Kichisaburô III.

11th lunar month of 1787: Shirojûrô performed at the Nakamuraza in the kaomise drama "Yukimizuki Eiga Hana no Hachinoki", which celebrated the shûmei of Ôtani Oniji III.

11th lunar month of 1790: Shirojûrô performed at the Kawarasakiza in the kaomise drama "Daidanna Kanjinchô".

1791: he became tôdori at the Kawarasakiza.

11th lunar month of 1792: Shirojûrô played at the Ichimuraza the role of Utsunomiya Yazaburô in the kaomise drama "Koganegiku Date no Ôkido", which celebrated the shûmei of Segawa Yûjirô II.

3rd lunar month of 1793: Shirojûrô's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô-(shiro)kichi (superior - superior - (white) excellent) [visual].

5th lunar month of 1793: Shirojûrô played in the same theater the roles of Hara Gôemon and Kanpei's mother Okaya in the drama "Kanadehon Chûshingura".

11th lunar month of 1793: Shirojûrô performed at the Miyakoza in the kaomise drama "Yasa Gunbai Miyako no Jintori"; his stage partners were Segawa Kikunojô III, Ichikawa Danjûrô VI, Iwai Kumesaburô I, Ôtani Hiroji III and Bandô Mitsugorô II.

7th lunar month of 1794: premiere at the Miyakoza of the drama "Keisei Sanbon Karakasa"; Shirojûrô played the role of Nagoya Sanzaemon [more details].

11th lunar month of 1794: Shirojûrô performed at the Miyakoza in Namiki Gohei I's kaomise drama "Uruô Tosshi Meika no Homare", which celebrated the shûmei of Nakamura Nakazô II and welcomed in Edo the actors Kataoka Nizaemon VII and Nakamura Noshio II and the Ôsaka playwright Namiki Gohei I.

4th lunar month of 1795: Shirojûrô played in the same theater the roles of Hara Gôemon and Kanpei's mother Okaya in the drama "Kanadehon Chûshingura".

8th lunar month of 1795: Shirojûrô played in the same theater the role of Hayashi in the drama "Ichi-no-Tani Futaba Gunki".

11th lunar month of 1795: Shirojûrô performed at the Miyakoza in the kaomise drama "Kaeribana Yuki no Yoshitsune".

4th lunar month of 1796: Shirojûrô played in the same theater the roles of Sezai's wife and Miyoshi Shuridayû in the drama "Gion Sairei Shinkôki".

7th lunar month of 1796: Shirojûrô played in the same theater the role of Tenrankei in the drama "Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami".

9th lunar month of 1796: the play "Hikosan Gongen Chikai no Sukedachi" was staged for the first time in Edo, simultaneously at the Kiriza and the Miyakoza; Shirojûrô played the roles of Yoshioka Ichimisai and Okô in the latter theater [casting].

11th lunar month of 1796: Shirojûrô performed at the Miyakoza in the kaomise drama "Seiwa Nidai Ôyose Genji", which celebrated the isse ichidai performance of Ichikawa Ebizô, the shûmei of Ichikawa Ebizô V and which welcomed back in Edo the actor Iwai Hanshirô IV.

1st lunar month of 1797: Shirojûrô played in the same theater the role of Mankô, the mother of the Soga brothers, in the new year sogamono drama "Edo no Haru Kichirei Soga".

8th lunar month of 1797: Shirojûrô played in the same theater the role of Tanimura Kenmotsu in the drama "Ômi Genji Senjin Yakata".

11th lunar month of 1797: the license of the Miyakoza was given back to the Nakamuraza; Shirojûrô moved to the Moritaza, where there was no kaomise program.

11th lunar month of 1798: Shirojûrô performed at the Moritaza in the kaomise drama "Taiheiki Mitsugi no Funauta", which celebrated the shûmei of Ichikawa Aragorô I.

5th lunar month of 1799: Shirojûrô played in the same theater the role of Shiratayû in the drama "Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami".

3rd lunar month of 1799: Shirojûrô played in the same theater the role of Hara Gôemon in the drama "Kanadehon Chûshingura".

11th lunar month of 1800: Shirojûrô performed at the Ichimuraza in Nagawa Shimesuke I's kaomise drama "Oishigeru Nami no Une Une", which celebrated the shûmei of Ichikawa Danjûrô VII and Arashi Kanjûrô I.

11th lunar month of 1801: Shirojûrô performed at the Nakamuraza in the kaomise drama "Date Dôgutsui no Ôtori", which celebrated the shûmei of Bandô Hikozaemon I and Yamashita Mansaku.

1st lunar month of 1802: Shirojûrô played in the same theater the role of Mankô, the mother of the Soga brothers, in the new year sogamono drama "Hatsu Butai Wakayagi Soga".

11th lunar month of 1802: Shirojûrô performed at the Nakamuraza in the kaomise drama "Koshiji no Hana Oedo no Torideki".

8th lunar month of 1803: Shirojûrô played in the same theater the roles of Kakuju and Shiratayû in the drama "Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami".

11th lunar month of 1802: Shirojûrô performed at the Nakamuraza in the kaomise drama "Kareki-ni Hana Gorishô Hachinoki", which celebrated the first stage appearance of Bandô Minosuke II.

3rd lunar month of 1804: Shirojûrô played in the same theater the role of Hayashi in the drama "Ichi-no-Tani Futaba Gunki".

8th lunar month of 1804: Shirojûrô played in the same theater the role of Kawatsura Hôgen in the drama "Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura".

11th lunar month of 1804: premiere at the Kawarasakiza of Katsu Hyôzô I's kaomise drama "Shitennô Momiji no Edoguma"; Shirojûrô played the role of Hirai Saemonnojô Yasumasa [casting].

1st lunar month of 1809: Shirojûrô's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, veterans section, was jô-jô (superior - superior) [visual].

1st lunar month of 1810: premiere at the Ichimuraza of Tsuruya Nanboku IV and Sakurada Jisuke II drama "Kokoro no Nazo Toketa Iroito"; Shirojûrô played the role of the tedai Sagobê. This was is last-recorded stage apperance. No record afterwards.

Comments:

Yamashina Shirojûrô was born and trained in Ôsaka, spent some time in Nagoya and he was active in Edo from the beginning of the 1770s to 1810. He performed in Edo three major theaters (Nakamuraza, Ichimuraza and Moritaza) but also in Edo three hikae yagura (Miyakoza, Kiriza and Kawarasakiza). Equally at home in sewamono and jidaimono dramas, he was able to perform a wide range of supporting roles, as a tachiyaku, katakiyaku, kashagata, oyajigata or dôkegata. Two of his best roles were Okaya (Kanpei's mother) and Hara Gôemon in the classic "Kanadehon Chûshingura".

[1] Another possible reading could be Kureyama.

Yamashina Shirojûrô playing the role of Nagoya Sanzaemon in the drama "Keisei Sanbon Karakasa", which was staged in the 7th lunar month of 1794 in Edo at the Miyakoza (print made by Tôshûsai Sharaku)