Stage names:

Arashi Tominosuke I

Line number: SHODAI (I)

Poetry name: San'yû

Existence: 1720 ~ 9th day of the 6th lunar month of 1766 ^[1]

Connection:

???

Career:

11th lunar month of 1734: first stage appearance, in Edo at the Nakamuraza, where he performed as a wakaonnagata iroko in the kaomise drama "Kyôganoko Secchû no Tamatori", which celebrated the arrival in Edo of the Kamigata actor Nakamura Shingorô I.

End of the 1730s: Tominosuke became wakaonnagata.

Janvier 1742: Tominosuke played at the Nakamuraza the role of Koiso no Tora in the new year sogamono drama "Musume Soga Gaijin Yashima".

1st lunar month of 1743: Tominosuke's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, was jô-jô-hankichi (superior - superior - half excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1743: Tominosuke performed at the Nakamuraza in the kaomise drama "Funayosooi Mitsugi Taiheiki", which celebrated the shûmei of Ôtani Oniji I.

1st lunar month of 1744: Tominosuke's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, was jô-jô-(shiro)kichi (superior - superior - (white) excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1744: Tominosuke played at the Ichimuraza the role of Kumasaka's nyôbô Fujinami in the kaomise drama "Tono Zukuri Genji Jûnidan".

1st lunar month of 1745: Tominosuke performed in the same theater in the new year drama "Hatsu Goyomi Kotobuki Soga".

5th lunar month of 1745: Tominosuke played in the same theater the role of Tenmaya Ohatsu in the drama "Sato Gayoi Fujimi Saikyô", whose plot and characters were related to the "Sonezaki Shinjû" world; the role of Hiranoya Tokubê was played by Ichikawa Danzô III.

1st lunar month of 1748: Tominosuke played at the Nakamuraza the role of Ôisô no Tora in the new year sogamono drama "Kazari Ebi Yoroi Soga".

Fall 1751: Tominosuke went to Kyôto.

11th lunar month of 1751: Tominosuke played in Kyôto the role of Sanemori's daughter Shinohara in the kaomise drama "Kaeribana Shinohara Gunki".

1st lunar month of 1752: Tominosuke's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, was jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual]. He shared the same rank with Arashi Koroku I, Tatsuoka Hisagiku, Asao Motogorô I and Mihogi Shichitarô.

4th lunar month of 1752: Tominosuke played in the same theater the role of Okaru in the drama "Kanadehon Chûshingura".

11th lunar month of 1752: Tominosuke performed at Hoteiya Umenojô's theater (Kitagawa no Shibai) in the kaomise drama "Tenka Taiheiki", which was produced by Arashi San'emon IV and celebrated the shûmei of Sawamura Otoemon II.

11th lunar month of 1753: Tominosuke 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, Sakata Tôjûrô III, Onoe Montarô and Bandô Sukesaburô I.

11th lunar month of 1754: Tominosuke played at Hoteiya Umenojô's theater in Kyôto the role of Tôsaku's wife Oseki in the kaomise drama "Fûkigusa Aioi Genji", which was produced by Somematsu Matsujirô. This drama was in fact the first Kabuki adaptation of the puppet drama "Yoshitsune Koshigoejô" [more details].

11th lunar month of 1755: Tominosuke played at the Kitagawa no Shibai the role of Tokiwa Gozen in the kaomise drama "Onna Monji Heike Monogatari".

Fall 1756: Tominosuke went to Edo.

11th lunar month of 1756: Tominosuke played at the Nakamuraza the role of Namiginu in the kaomise drama "Masakado Shôzoku no Enoki".

1st lunar month of 1757: Tominosuke's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, was jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1757: Tominosuke played the role of Yoritomo's mekake Hana-no-Mae in the Nakamuraza kaomise drama "Onna Musha Kaijin Yashima"; the role of Minamoto no Yoritomo was played by Onoe Kikugorô I.

11th lunar month of 1758: Tominosuke played at the Moritaza the role of Mankô in the kaomise program "Akazawa Genjiyama".

11th lunar month of 1759: Tominosuke performed at the Nakamuraza in the kaomise drama "Shôgaichi Kaomise Matsuri".

March 1761: Tominosuke performed in the same theater in the drama "Ai no Yama Onna Katakiuchi"

Fall 1761: Tominosuke went to Kyôto.

12th lunar month of 1761: Tominosuke played at the Kitagawa no Shibai the role of the keisei Hinazuru in the kaomise drama "Karanishiki Miyako no Hinagata", which celebrated the shûmei of Takeshima Kôzaemon IV.

2nd lunar month of 1762: Tominosuke played in the same theater the roles of Tomonoshin's wife Oshio and the keisei Tamanoi in the ni-no-kawari drama "Keisei Shiunzan", which was produced by Sanogawa Wakamatsu; the role of Funabashi Tomonoshin was played by Yamashita Matatarô I (who appeared on stage for the last time).

2nd lunar month of 1763: Tominosuke played at the Kitagawa no Shibai the roles of the koshimoto Hatsuse and Jingorô's nyôbô Oriki in the kaomise drama "Otowayama Renbo no Taki", which was produced by Nakamura Senzô.

4th lunar month of 1763: Tominosuke played in the same theater the role of the courtesan Ôiso no Tora in the drama "Keisei Sangoku Ichi"; the roles of Kudô Saemon Suketsune, Soga Jûrô Sukenari (Tora's lover), Soga Gorô Tokimune and the courtesan Kewaizaka no Shôshô (Gorô's lover) were played by Sakakiyama Koshirô II, Nakamura Matashirô, Arashi Koroku I and Nakamura Senzô.

11th lunar month of 1763: Tominosuke performed at the Minamigawa no Shibai in Sakurato Bunsaku's kaomise drama "Hôraisan Hatsuhi no Kachidoki", which was produced by Arashi Matsunojô III.

1st lunar month of 1764: Tominosuke played at the Minamigawa no Shibai the roles of the emissary Osan and Shinbê's wife Onami in Namiki Shôzô I's ni-no-kawari drama "Keisei Hana no Shiroyama", which was produced by Arashi Matsunojô III.

11th lunar month of 1764: Tominosuke performed at the Minamigawa no Shibai in the kaomise drama "Tanomi-agemasu Goken Butsusama".

1st lunar month of 1765: Tominosuke's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, fell to jô-jô-(hanshiro)kichi (superior - superior - (half-white) excellent) [visual].

2nd lunar month of 1765: Tominosuke played in the same theater the role of Hikojirô's nyôbô Onami in the ni-no-kawari drama "Keisei Takasago no Ura".

11th lunar month of 1765: Tominosuke performed at the Minamigawa no Shibai in the kaomise drama "Kachidoki Asahi no Ôgi", which was produced by Ichiyama Sukegorô II and Yamashita Kyônosuke and welcomed in Kyôto the Edo actor Ichikawa Danzô III.

1st lunar month of 1766: Tominosuke played in the same theater the roles of Unai's nyôbô Okô and Onatsu in the ni-no-kawari drama "Keisei Shinonome Zakura". This was most likely his stage apperance on stage.

9th day of the 6th lunar month of 1766 ^[1]: Tominosuke died in Kyôto.

Comments:

Arashi Tominosuke I was trained as a wakaonnagata in Edo (although Arashi was a name of Kamigata actors) but reached the prestigious jô-jô-kichi ranking in Kyôto in 1752 and stayed at this level for 13 years. He was outstanding in keisei roles.

[1] The 9th day of the 6th lunar month of the 3rd year of the Meiwa era was the 15th of July 1766 in the western calendar.

Arashi Tominosuke I (right) and Ichimura Kamezô I (left) playing the roles of Kumoi-no-Mae and Raigô Ajari in the drama "Chigo Zakura Futaba Jikki", which was staged in the 10th lunar month of 1746 at the Ichimuraza (print made by Torii Kiyonobu II)