Stage names:

Sakurayama Shirosaburô II
Sakurayama Shôzaemon II
Sakurayama Takematsu

Other name:

Sakurayama Shirôsa

Playwright names:

Sakurato Bunsaku

Line number: NIDAIME (II)

Poetry name: Nanga

Existence: ???

Connection:

Father: Sakurayama Shirosaburô I

Disciple: Sakurayama Shirosaburô III (?)

Career:

Before 1731: his first two stage names were Sakurayama Takematsu and Sakurayama Shôzaemon II.

11th lunar month of 1731: Shôzaemon played at the Kado no Shibai the role of Suminoe Daigorô in the kaomise drama "Aioi Kikenjô".

7th lunar month of 1732: his father Sakurayama Shirosaburô I died; he immediately took the name of Sakurayama Shirosaburô II.

Fall 1732: tour in Nagoya.

11th lunar month of 1732: Shirosaburô played at the Naka no Shibai the role of Datenojô in the kaomise drama "Shikishima Wakô no Tsuzumi", which was produced by Iwai Hanshirô III.

12th lunar month of 1745: the drama "Natsu Matsuri Naniwa Kagami" was performed for the first time in Ôsaka, simultaneously in the three major theaters of the city, which started a competition for the best performance and line-up; Shirosaburô played the role of Issun Tokubê at the Ônishi no Shibai [casting].

11th lunar month of 1747: Shirosaburô played at the Minamigawa no Shibai the role of the kagokaki Matajûrô, in realtiy the karô Yojûrô, in the kaomise drama "Meiken Kogane Zukuri", which was produced by Nakamura Kumetarô I.

1st lunar month of 1748: Shirosaburô's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual]. He shared the same rank with Nakayama Shinjûrô.

11th lunar month of 1748: Shirosaburô performed in Kyôto in the kaomise drama "Sugomori Hiru-ga-Kojima", which was produced by Arashi San'emon IV; his stage partners were Fujikawa Heikurô, Yamashita Matatarô I, Hanakawa Ichinojô, Sanogawa Hanazuma II, Nakamura Tomijûrô I and Imamura Shichisaburô II.

11th lunar month of 1749: Shirosaburô performed in Kyôto in the kaomise drama "Tokitsukazeyasu Keizu", which was produced in Kyôto by Sakakiyama Shirotarô II; his stage partners were Yamashita Matatarô I, Kasaya Matakurô I, Sakakiyama Koshirô I and Nakamura Tomijûrô I.

11th lunar month of 1750: Shirosaburô played in Kyôto at Ebisuya Kichirôbê's theater the role of Sanzaemon in Fujikawa Sakoku's kaomise drama "Taira no Miyako Onna Ezôshi", which was produced by Sakakiyama Shirotarô II.

1st lunar month of 1751: Shirosaburô played in the same theater the role of the hairdresser Shichirobê in Fujikawa Sakoku's ni-no-kawari drama "Keisei Kane-ga-Fuchi".

11th lunar month of 1756: Shirosaburô played at the Kitagawa no Shibai the role of Kimoiri Tokubê, in reality Horio Tatewaki, in the kaomise drama "Ukematsuri Hôrai Yakata", which was produced by Somematsu Matsujirô for the nadai Hoteiya Umenojô. He also worked as a sakusha, using the pen name Sakurato Bunsaku, on this kaomise program.

1757: he became sakusha.

11th lunar month of 1757: tatesakusha at the Kitagawa no Shibai, he worked on the kaomise drama "Tsunomoji Keman no Yurai", which was produced by Nakamura Kumetarô I and in which he played the role of Nikaidô Tatewaki.

1st lunar month of 1758: first Kabuki adaptation of the puppet theater drama "Gion Sairei Shinkôki", which was simultaneously produced at the Minamigawa no Shibai [casting] and the Kitagawa no Shibai [casting]. It used its real title at the former theater but it was entitled "Keisei Niwatoriyama" at the latter theater; Shirosaburô played in the latter theater the roles of Konishi Zesai and Shibata Gonroku Katsushige.

11th lunar month of 1758: he worked as a sakusha at the Kitagawa no Shibai on the kaomise drama "Inari Yakata Irifune no Arashi", which was produced by Arashi Sangorô II and in which he played the role of Fukusuke, in reality Ashiya Saichirô.

Fall 1759: Shirosaburô went to Ôsaka.

11th lunar month of 1759: Shirosaburô performed at the Naka no Shibai in the kaomise drama "Mibae Soga Azuma Tanzen", which was produced by Arashi Kichisaburô I.

1st lunar month of 1760: Shirosaburô's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual].

Fall 1760: Shirosaburô went to Kyôto.

11th lunar month of 1760: Shirosaburô performed at the Kitagawa no Shibai in the kaomise drama "Kiku Nagashi Kokka Taiheiki", which was produced by Nakamura Senzô.

1st lunar month of 1761: Shirosaburô's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual]. He was the kanjiku for this category of actors.

11th lunar month of 1763: Bunsaku worked at the Minamigawa no Shibai on the kaomise drama "Hôraisan Hatsuhi no Kachidoki", which was produced by Arashi Matsunojô III and in which he played the roles of Kose no Kurando and Konda Yoshio.

1st lunar month of 1764: Shirosaburô played at the Minamigawa no Shibai the role of Rokujô's fox Sakon in Namiki Shôzô I's ni-no-kawari drama "Keisei Hana no Shiroyama".

11th lunar month of 1765: tatesakusha at the Kitagawa no Shibai, he worked on the kaomise drama "Takara-Kita-Yama Kogane no Ishizue", which was produced by Ogawa Kichitarô I and in which he played the role of Katada Sagoemon.

11th lunar month of 1771: Shirosaburô played at the Minamigawa no Shibai the role of Princess Karamatsu in the kaomise drama "Bandai Isaoshi Genji", which was produced by Arashi Sanjûrô II.

1772: his name appeared in a hyôbanki for the last time; he most likely died the same year.

Comments:

Sakurayama Shirosaburô II was a talented Kamigata tachiyaku actor, who followed in the footsteps of his father Sakurayama Shirosaburô I. He was jô-jô-kichi either in Kyôto or Ôsaka from 1748 to 1772 and was active as a playwright named Sakurato Bunsaku from 1756. He held this name for 40 years but, as he had no talented heir, he was unfortunately the last great actor of the Sakurayama clan.

Sakurayama Shirosaburô II playing the role of Rokujô's fox Sakon in the drama "Keisei Hana no Shiroyama", which was staged in the 1st lunar month of 1764 at the Minamigawa no Shibai

Prints & Illustrations

The Sakurayama Shôzaemon line of actors

The Sakurayama Shirosaburô line of actors