Stage names:

Onoe Tamizô II
Ôkawa Hachizô
Onoe Tamizô II
Nakamura Waichi
Segawa Waichi

Guild: Otowaya

Line number: NIDAIME (II)

Poetry names: Matsuô, Shôchô, Nichô

Existence: 1799 ~ 2 March 1886

Connections:

Masters: Onoe Kikugorô III, Nakamura Utaemon III, Segawa Senjo

Father-in-law: Ichikawa Ebijûrô I

Sons: Onoe Shôkaku I, Ichikawa Ichizô III

Disciples: Onoe Tamizô III, Onoe Usaburô I, Onoe Wasaburô I, Onoe Tamisaburô, Onoe Taminojô, Onoe Tamimaru I, Onoe Tamimaru II, Onoe Tsunejirô, Onoe Tamikichi

Career:

1799: born in Kyôto. He was the son of Kameemon, a Kabuki hairdresser (tokoyama).

1810: he started his career as a disciple of Segawa Senjo and received the name of Segawa Waichi.

4th day of the 12th lunar month of 1810 ^[1]: his first master Segawa Senjo died.

1820: he joined Nakamura Utaemon III, who gave him the name of Nakamura Waichi. He left his second master a few months later for a third one, the Edo star Onoe Kikugorô III on tour in Ôsaka. The two actors went together to Edo.

11th lunar month of 1820: Nakamura Waichi took the name of Onoe Tamizô II at the Kawarasakiza.

7th lunar month of 1821: premiere at the Kawarasakiza of Tsuruya Nanboku IV's drama "Tamamo-no-Mae Kumoi no Hareginu", which mixed the sekai of Gion no Nyôgo, the Two Shinbê ("Ninin Shinbê") and Tamamo-no-Mae; Tamizô played the roles of the toneri Kishiô and the sarumawashi Yamadani no Sansaku [more details].

9th lunar month of 1821: premiere at the Kawarasakiza of Tsuruya Nanboku IV's drama "Kiku no En Tsuki no Shiranami"; Tamizô played the role of En'ya Nuinosuke (later Hakomochi Sasuke) [more details].

7th lunar month of 1822: premiere at the Kawarasakiza of Tsuruya Nanboku IV's drama "Reigen Kameyama Hoko"; Tamizô played the roles of Todoroki Kinroku & Ishii Rokunoshin [more details].

1823: Tamizô went back to Kamigata.

3rd lunar month of 1833: premiere at the Kitagawa no Shibai of "Hana Fubuki Koi no Tekagami"; Tamizô played the role of Utanosuke [casting].

25th day of the 7th lunar month of 1838 ^[2]: his second master Nakamura Tamasuke (Nakamura Utaemon III) died.

5th lunar month of 1841: Tamizô went back to Edo, playing 8 roles in the drama "Ura Omote Senbon Zakura", which was staged at the Nakamuraza.

7th lunar month of 1841: premiere at the Nakamuraza of the dance "Ame no Gorô", which was performed by Tamizô as part of a nine-role hengemono entitled "Yae Kokonoe Hana no Sugatae".

10th lunar month of 1843: Tamizô went back to Kamigata and played at the Naka no Shibai the roles of Hayano Kanpei and Teraoka Heiemon in the classic "Kanadehon Chûshingura".

5th lunar month of 1843: Tamizô played at the Kado no Shibai the roles of Tôma Saburôemon, Kôemon and Hayase Iori in the drama "Tengajaya-mura", which was produced by the zamoto Onoe Waichi; his stage partners were Ôtani Tomoemon IV (Motoemon) and Nakamura Kashichi III (Hayase Genjirô).

7th lunar month of 1843: Tamizô played at the Minamigawa no Shibai the roles of Kôemon and Hayase Iori in the drama "Tengajaya-mura"; his stage partners were Ôtani Tomoemon IV (Tôma Saburôemon, Motoemon) and Onoe Umezô (Hayase Genjirô).

8th lunar month of 1848: tour in Nagoya with his master; the two actors performed respectively under the names of Ôkawa Hashizô I and Ôkawa Hachizô.

24th day of the 4th lunar month of 1849 ^[3]: his third master Ôkawa Hashizô I died.

1850: he went back to Ôsaka and took back the name of Onoe Tamizô II.

1st lunar month of 1858: Tamizô played at the Naka no Shibai (Ôsaka) the role of the king of thieves Ishikawa Goemon in the drama "Keisei Setsugekka", commonly called "Ishikawa-zome"; his stage partner in the role of Mashiba Hisayoshi, sworn enemy of Ishikawa Goemon, was Arashi Kichisaburô III.

10th lunar month of 1859: Tamizô played at the Kado no Shibai (Ôsaka) the roles of Tadanobu and the fox Genkurô in the michiyuki and the "Shi-no-Kiri" scene of the classic "Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura", which was produced by the zamoto Nakamura Takemaru; his stage partners were Arashi Rikaku II (Shizuka Gozen) and Mimasu Baisha I (Yoshitsune, Yokawa no Zenji Kakuhan).

2nd day of the 3rd lunar month of 1865 ^[4]: his younger son Ichikawa Ichizô III died.

22 October 1878: his elder son Onoe Shôkaku I died.

August 1879: Tamizô took part in the opening ceremony of the Hisamatsuza [details].

November 1880: Tamizô played at the Kitagawa no Shibai (Kyôto) the role of Yokozô in the drama "Honchô Nijûshikô"; the role of Jihizô was played by Arashi Kitsusaburô IV.

November 1885: Tamizô appeared on stage for the last time, in Ôsaka at the Naka no Shibai, performing in a dance celebrating the rebuilding of the theater.

2 March 1886: Tamizô died.

Comments:

Onoe Tamizô II was a great and popular kaneru yakusha, excelling in quick costums changes (hayagawari) and ghost plays. His three masters were 3 of the most important actors in Kabuki history and, thanks to his amazingly long-spanned career, he played an important role in the transmission of the art of Kabuki from the end of the Edo period to the Meiji era.

[1] The 4th day of the 12th lunar month of the 7th year of the Bunka era was the 29th of December 1810 in the western calendar.

[2] The 25th day of the 7th lunar month of the 9th year of the Tenpô era was the 13th of September 1838 in the western calendar.

[3] The 24th day of the 4th lunar month of the 2nd year of the Kaei era was the 16th of May 1849 in the western calendar.

[4] The 2nd day of the 3rd lunar month of the 2nd year of the Genji era was the 28th of March 1865 in the western calendar.

Onoe Tamizô II in the drama "Kamakura Sandaiki"

Prints & Illustrations

The Onoe Tamizô line of actors