Stage names:

Tamon Shôzaemon I

Line number: SHODAI (I)

Existence: ???

Career:

Before 1641: born in Kyôto. He started to perform in Wakashû Kabuki (Boy Kabuki).

8th lunar month of 1641: Shôzaemon settled in Edo and performed at the Nakamuraza.

7th lunar month of 1652: Wakashû Kabuki (Boy Kabuki) performances were forbidden by the Shogunal authorities.

3rd lunar month of 1653: Yarô Kabuki ('Adult Kabuki') performances were authorized by the Shogunal authorities.

4th lunar month of 1663: Shôzaemon, along with Ukon Genzaemon, Komai Shôzaemon and Saitô Yogorô, was invited to perform at the Edo mansion of the daimyô Matsudaira Yamato-no-Kami (the kami of the Yamato province).

11th lunar month of 1663: Shôzaemon performed at the old Hinatadayûza in Edo, along with Komai Shôzaemon, Umeda Mon'ya and Takeda Sagami.

11th lunar month of 1665: Shôzaemon performed at the theater managed by Bandô Matakurô I in Sakai-chô in the dance-drama "Yakko Momijigari".

5th lunar month of 1666: Shôzaemon achieved a big success at the Ichimuraza by performing with Tamagawa Sennojô I in the dance "Shinobi Guruma".

8th lunar month of 1666: Shôzaemon performed in Sakai-chô, along with Bandô Matakurô I, Komai Shôzaemon, Tamagawa Shuzen I, Tamamura Kichiya, Imamura Kumenosuke, Dekishima Kozarashi I, Umeda Mon'ya, Hashimoto Senkatsu and others.

7th lunar month of 1671: Shôzaemon, along with Suzuki Heizaemon I, Murayama Gentarô, Araki Buhê, Fujita Minanosuke, Nakajima Yaheita, Takemura Shichizaemon, Tamazaki Ichinojô, Nakamura Kindayû, Nakamura Sanzaburô and others, was invited to perform at the Edo mansion of the daimyô Matsudaira Yamato-no-Kami (the kami of the Yamato province).

3rd lunar month of 1678: Shôzaemon performed at the Nakamuraza.

1678: publication of the book "Kokon Yakusha Monogatari" ("Tales of Actors Past and Present"). Shôzaemon was depicted as performing a roppô entitled "Yanaka Roppô".

Comments:

Tamon Shôzaemon I was, along with actors like Ukon Genzaemon, Tamagawa Sennojô I or Saruwaka Kanzaburô, a tachiyaku actor who started in Wakashû Kabuki (Boy Kabuki) and ended his career in Yarô Kabuki ('Adult Kabuki'). He most likely died at the beginning of the Tenna era. He often played kyôkaku roles on Kabuki stages and was a pioneer in roppô in the tanzen style. He had a love affair with a samurai, which ended tragically for his lover (more on the dark side of Kabuki).

Tamon Shôzaemon I in an ilustration from the book "Kokon Shibai Irokurabe Hyakunin Isshu" (1st lunar month of 1693)

The Tamon Shôzaemon line of actors