Stage names:

Sakurayama Shôzaemon I
Sakurayama Shôshichi
Sakurayama Rinnosuke I
Togawa Shôdayû

Line number: SHODAI (I)

Poetry name: Ôzan

Existence: 1664 ~ 1714 (?)

Connection:

Younger brother: Sakurayama Shirosaburô I

Disciples: Sakurayama Shônosuke, Sakurayama Shôdayû

Career:

1664 ~ 1686: born in Sakai; he worked as a catamite in the Dôtonbori theater district of Ôsaka; his first stage name was Togawa Shôdayû.

11th lunar month of 1686: he took the name of Sakurayama Rinnosuke I and performed as a wakashugata in Ôsaka at Araki Yojibê I's theater. His yearly salary was 40 ryô; his stage partners were Yamashita Hanzaemon I, Iwai Hanshirô I, Yamamura Kanzaburô, Sodeoka Masanosuke II, Sakata Tôkurô, Takenaka Hanzaburô, Matsushima Han'ya II, Kozakura Kodayû, Takigawa Kiyosaburô, Yoshikawa Genzaburô, Mihara Jûdayû I, Wakabayashi Shiroemon and Sadoshima Denpachi.

Fall 1694: Rinnosuke went to Edo.

11th lunar month of 1694: Rinnosuke performed at the Ichimuraza.

1st lunar month of 1695: Rinnosuke's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, wakashugata section, was jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual]. He shared the same rank with Onoe Yatarô.

11th lunar month of 1695: Rinnosuke played at the Ichimuraza the role of Narinokawa Gonzaburô in the kaomise drama "Shiki Gosho Zakura", which celebrated the arrival in Edo of the actor Mizuki Tatsunosuke I.

Fall 1696: Rinnosuke went back to Kyôto.

11th lunar month of 1696: he became tachiyaku and took the name of Sakurayama Shôshichi, performing in Kyôto at Miyako Mandayû's theater in Chikamatsu Monzaemon's kaomise drama "Tôhôsaku", which was produced by Sakata Tôjûrô I.

Summer 1697: Sakurayama Shôshichi took the name of Sakurayama Shôzaemon I in Kyôto.

Summer 1698: Shôzaemon went to Ôsaka.

3rd lunar month of 1699: Shôzaemon's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô (superior) [visual].

1st lunar month of 1701: Shôzaemon performed in the drama "Kashû Dômyôji Kaichô", which was produced in Ôsaka by Iwai Hanshirô II.

3rd lunar month of 1701: Shôzaemon's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô (superior - superior) [visual]. He shared the same rank with Kataoka Nizaemon I, Shibazaki Rinzaemon I, Osagawa Jûemon, Takioka Hikoemon and Murayama Heijûrô I.

Fall 1706: Shôzaemon went to Edo.

11th lunar month of 1706: Shôzaemon performed at the Ichimuraza in the kaomise drama "Mano no Chôja Kogane no Torii".

3rd lunar month of 1707: Shôzaemon's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-(shiro)jô (superior - (white) superior) (superior - (white) superior) [visual].

Fall 1707: Shôzaemon went to Kyôto to perform at Miyako Mandayû's theater.

1st lunar month of 1708: Shôzaemon's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-(shiro)jô (superior - (white) superior) (superior - (white) superior) [visual].

Fall 1708: Shôzaemon went back to Ôsaka.

11th lunar month of 1708: Shôzaemon played the role of Ômura Jûnai in Ôsaka in the kaomise drama "Tate Eboshi Daijin Bashira", which was produced by Arashi Sanjûrô I.

3rd lunar month of 1709: Shôzaemon's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-(shiro)jô (superior - (white) superior) (superior - (white) superior) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1709: Shôzaemon performed in Ôsaka in the kaomise drama "Maiôgi Masaki no Kazura", which was produced by Ogino Yaegiri I.

3rd lunar month of 1710: Shôzaemon's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, fell to jô (superior) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1710: Shôzaemon performed in Ôsaka in the kaomise drama "Shusse Yakushi Jûnishin", which was produced by Arashi Sanjûrô I.

11th lunar month of 1711: Shôzaemon performed in Ôsaka in Azuma Sanpachi's kaomise drama "Tanba Tarô Kamado Shôgun", which was produced by Arashi Sanjûrô I.

3rd lunar month of 1712: Shôzaemon's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was back to jô-jô (superior - superior) [visual].

1st lunar month of 1713: Shôzaemon went back to Kyôto; he performed at Kameya Kumenojô's theater in the kaomise drama "Fukubiki Miuma no Ôkamado".

3rd lunar month of 1713: Shôzaemon was in the Kyôto hyôbanki the kanjiku for tachiyaku actors (unknown ranking).

Fall 1713: Shôzaemon, who was on sick leave in Kyôto for a while, went back to Ôsaka.

11th lunar month of 1713: Shôzaemon performed in Ôsaka in the kaomise drama "Saiwai Musume Takara no Yome Banzei Muko", which was produced at Ôsaka Tazaemon's theater by Shinozuka Shômatsu I; he appeared only in the kôjô and this was his last-recorded stage performance. No record afterwards.

Comments:

Sakurayama Shôzaemon I was the founder of the Sakurayama clan. He was an outstanding wakashugata and a good tachiyaku. He was short-sized but had a great kôseki. His fields of excellence were jitsugoto, nuregoto and budôgoto. He most likely died in 1714.

"Sakurayama Shôzaemon learned by heart over three thousand old poems because, he said, if you knew many old poems, it was very useful when you were composing words. For this reason he was very skillful at writing speeches and others actors used his services to a considerable extent." (from Tamiya Shirogorô sequel to Kaneko Ikkô's "Dust in the Ears", translated by Charles J. Dunn and Torigoe Bunzô in "The Actors' Analects")

Sakurayama Shôzaemon I playing the role of Oriemon in Azuma Sanpachi's kaomise drama "Tanba Tarô Kamado Shôgun", which was staged in the 11th lunar month of 1711 in Ôsaka at Shioya Kuroemon's theater

Prints & Illustrations

The Sakurayama Shôzaemon line of actors