Stage names:

Sakata Tôjûrô III
Sakata Sadashirô
Tomizawa Sadashirô
Sanjô Han'ya

Guilds: Hiiragiya, Sakataya

Line number: SANDAIME (III)

Poetry name: Sharen

Existence: 1701 ~ 24th day of the 8th lunar month of 1774 ^[1]

Connection:

Masters: Tomizawa Chiyonosuke ^[2], Sanjô Kantarô II (?) ^[3]

Father: Sakata Tôjûrô I's nephew Sakata Hyôshirô ^[6]

Adoptive father (?) ^[4]: Sakata Tôjûrô II

Son: Sakata Kônosuke

Disciple: Sakata Sanzaburô

Career:

1701~1730: born in Kamigata. His father Sakata Hyôshirô ^[6] was a nephew of the star Sakata Tôjûrô I, who became a famous Nagauta utakata and the founder of the Sakata School of Music. He started his career as a wakashugata and a disciple of Sanjô Kantarô II ^[3], who gave him the name of Sanjô Han'ya. He stopped acting for a while. He went back on stage as disciple of Tomizawa Chiyonosuke ^[2] and received the name of Tomizawa Sadashirô. Later on, he was adopted by Sakata Tôjûrô II ^[4].

27th day of the 9th lunar month of 1724 ^[5]: his adoptive father Sakata Tôjûrô II died.

Fall 1730: he went to Edo with his father Sakata Hyôshirô ^[6].

11th lunar month of 1730: he became tachiyaku and took the name of Sakata Sadashirô at the Nakamuraza, performing in the kaomise drama "Irifune Hiru-ga-Kojima", which welcomed in Edo the Kamigata actor Segawa Kikunojô I.

11th lunar month of 1737: the play "Dan no Ura Kabuto Gunki" was staged for the first time in Edo, at the Kawarasakiza, as a kaomise drama entitled "Urûzuki Ninin Kagekiyo"; Sadashirô played the role of Iba-no-Jûzô Kazuyoshi [casting].

3rd lunar month of 1738: Sadashirô's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô-(shiro)kichi (superior - superior - (white) excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1739: Sakata Sadashirô took the name of Sakata Tôjûrô III at the Kawarasakiza, playing the role of Tsumaga Magosaburô in the kaomise drama "Irifune Taiheiki"; his stage partners were Ogino Izaburô I, Sanjô Kantarô II, Ichikawa Sôzaburô I, Bandô Toyosaburô I and Yamamoto Kyôzô.

11th lunar month of 1744: Tôjûrô performed at the Moritaza in the kaomise drama "Higashiyama Bandai no Watamashi".

11th lunar month of 1746: Tôjûrô became jitsuaku and played at the Moritaza the role of Toriumi Yasaburô in the kaomise drama "Ôtorii Gojûshigun".

1st lunar month of 1747: Tôjûrô's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, jitsuaku section, was jô-jô-(shiro)kichi (superior - superior - (white) excellent) [visual].

11th day of the 6th lunar month of 1749 ^[7]: his father Sakata Hyôshirô ^[6] died.

11th lunar month of 1750: Tôjûrô switched back to tachiyaku and played at the Ichimuraza the role of Onchi Sakon in the kaomise drama "Gaijin Taiheiki", which celebrated the shûmei of Bandô Sanpachi I.

Fall 1752: Tôjûrô went to Ôsaka after 21 seasons spent in Edo.

11th lunar month of 1752: Tôjûrô performed at the Kado no Shibai in the kaomise drama "Nagoya Ori Hinatsuru no Nishiki", which was produced by Mimasu Daigorô I.

Fall 1753: Tôjûrô went to Kyôto.

11th lunar month of 1753: Tôjûrô performed at Hoteiya Umenojô's theater in the kaomise drama "Futaba no Nishiki Midori no Onikage"; his stage partners were Somematsu Shichisaburô I, Fujioka Daikichi, Imamura Shichisaburô II, Sawamura Kunitarô I, Arashi Tominosuke I, Onoe Montarô and Bandô Sukesaburô I.

1st lunar month of 1754: Tôjûrô's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual].

2nd lunar month of 1755: first Kabuki adaptation of the 5 acts puppet theater drama "Ono no Tôfû Aoyagi Suzuri", which was produced by Sawamura Kunitarô I and staged at the Minamigawa no Shibai as a kaomise drama; Tôjûrô played the role of Deba Jirô Yoshizane [casting].

11th lunar month of 1756: Tôjûrô played at the Minamigawa no Shibai the role of a uirô peddler ("Uirô Uri"), in reality Oniô, in the kaomise drama "Daimyô Bimandai Kuniiri Kamakura Kagami", which was produced by Sawamura Kunitarô I for the nadai Hayagumo Chôdayû.

Winter 1758: Tôjûrô went to Edo; he had to rest a little and did not take part in the kaomise program at the Nakamuraza.

1st lunar month of 1759: Tôjûrô's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was one stroke below jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual]. Tôjûrô played at the Nakamuraza the roles of Sukenobu and Yaoya Kyûbê in the new year drama in the new year drama "Hatsugai Wada no Sakamori".

Winter 1763: Tôjûrô was back in Kyôto after a long tour in the countryside; he played in the 2nd lunar month at the Kitagawa no Shibai the role of Funaoka Shikibudayû in the kaomise drama "Otowayama Renbo no Taki", which was produced by Nakamura Senzô.

11th lunar month of 1764: Tôjûrô became jitsuaku for one season.

Fall 1767: Tôjûrô went to Edo.

11th lunar month of 1767: Tôjûrô played at the Ichimuraza the role of Sasaki Genzô in the kaomise drama "Nue Shigedô Sakiwake Yûsha".

11th lunar month of 1770: Tôjûrô played at the Nakamuraza in the kaomise drama "Nue no Mori Ichiyô no Mato", which celebrated the shûmei of Matsumoto Kôshirô II, Ichikawa Danjûrô V, Nakamura Shôchô, Ichikawa Monnosuke II, Nakamura Shichisaburô III and Bandô Sanpachi II.

11th lunar month of 1771: Tôjûrô played at the Ichimuraza the role of Sano no Gentôta in the kaomise drama "Kono Hana Yotsugi no Hachinoki".

1st lunar month of 1772: Tôjûrô played in the same theater the role of Terukuni in the drama "Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami".

2nd lunar month of 1772: Tôjûrô played in the same theater the role of Oniô in the drama "Furisode Kisaragi Soga"; this was most likely his last performance in ôshibai. He joined a travelling troupe (tabi shibai) and went on tour in the countryside.

24th day of the 8th lunar month of 1774 ^[1]: Tôjûrô died while on tour in Sendai.

Comments:

Sakata Tôjûrô III was a talented 18th century tachiyaku actor. Unlike Sakata Tôjûrô I or Sakata Tôjûrô II, his field of excellence was not wagoto but jitsugoto.

[1] The 24th day of the 8th lunar month of the 3rd year of the An'ei era was the 29th of September 1774 in the western calendar.

[2] Reported only in Nojima Jusaburô's book "Kabuki Jinmei Jiten". Tomizawa Chiyonosuke was the first stage name, from 1702 to the end of 1718, of Tomizawa Bunzaemon.

[3] Reported in Nojima Jusaburô's book "Kabuki Jinmei Jiten" and in the latest edition (2012) of "Kabuki Haiyû Meiseki Benran". Sanjô Kantarô II was in Edo while Sanjô Han'ya was in Kamigata. Was Sanjô Kantarô II really the master of Sanjô Han'ya?

[4] Reported in Nojima Jusaburô's book "Kabuki Jinmei Jiten"; not reported in the latest edition (2012) of "Kabuki Haiyû Meiseki Benran".

[5] The 27th day of the 9th lunar month of the 9th year of the Kyôhô era was the 12th of November 1724 in the western calendar.

[6] Sakata Heishirô in Nojima Jusaburô's book "Kabuki Jinmei Jiten".

[7] The 11th day of the 6th lunar month of the 2nd year of the Kan'en era was the 24th of July 1749 in the western calendar.

Sakata Tôjûrô III in a print made in 1770 by Katsukawa Shunshô for the Ehon Butai Ôgi series of prints

The Sakata Tôjûrô line of actors