Stage names:

Nakayama Yoshio I
Nakayama Ittoku I

Other name:

Nakayama Nanshi I

Nickname: Ôya

Guild: Daikokuya

Line number: SHODAI (I)

Poetry names: Nanshi (1), Yoshio, Rikô, Risei

Existence: 1776 ~ 23rd day of the 1st lunar month of 1818 ^[1]

Connection:

Master: Nakayama Bunshichi II

Son: Nakayama Ittoku III

Disciple: Nakayama Nanshi II

Career:

1776 ~ 1790: born in Ôsaka. He started his career at an early age, as a disciple of Nakayama Raisuke II, performing in kodomo shibai under the name of Nakayama Ittoku I.

2nd lunar month of 1790: Ittoku became zamoto and produced at the Kado no Shibai the new year ni-no-kawari drama "Keisei Fuki no Shimadai".

19th day of the 2nd lunar month of 1798 ^[2]: his master Nakayama Bunshichi II died.

11th lunar month of 1799: Ittoku performed at the Kado no Shibai in the kaomise drama "Yunzei Tôri Yaguruma", which was produced by Fujikawa Katsujirô. He also played the role of Hanamachi in the drama "Ashiya Dôman Ôuchi Kagami"; his stage partners were Asao Tamejûrô I, Arashi Kichisaburô II, Nakamura Noshio II and Seki Sanjûrô I. The troupe moved in the 12th lunar month from the Kado no Shibai to the Kitagawa no Shibai in Kyôto to perform almost the same program.

8th lunar month of 1804: Nakayama Ittoku I took the name of Nakayama Yoshio I at the Kado no Shibai, performing in the drama "Hade Kurabe Ise Monogatari", which was produced by Nakamura Noshio III; his main stage partners were Kataoka Nizaemon VII, Onoe Koisaburô I, Fujikawa Hachizô III, Fujikawa Tomokichi I, Nakayama Shinkurô III and Asao Tamejûrô II.

1st lunar month of 1808: premiere at the Naka no Shibai of Nagawa Tokusuke I's ni-no-kawari new year drama "Keisei Shina Sadame"; Yoshio played the roles of the keisei Katsuragi and Kaide [casting].

10th lunar month of 1809: Yoshio played at the Kado no Shibai the role of the courtesan Miyagino in the drama "Go Taiheiki Shiraishi Banashi"; the roles of Shinobu and Sôroku were played by Kanô Minshi I and Kataoka Nizaemon VII.

1st lunar month of 1810: premiere at the Kado no Shibai of Chikamatsu Tokuzô and Namiki Miyosuke ni-no-kawari drama "Keisei Sato no Funauta"; Yoshio played the roles of the keisei Higaki and Ryôsuke's nyôbô Oyuki [casting].

3rd lunar month of 1810: tour in Ise with Kataoka Nizaemon VII and Nakayama Hyakka; Yoshio played among others the roles of Otane et Nureginu in the drama "Honchô Nijûshikô".

9th lunar month of 1810: Yoshio played at the Kado no Shibai the roles of Shizuka Gozen, Oryû/Suke-no-Tsubone and Gonta's wife Kosen in the drama "Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura"; his stage partners were Kataoka Nizaemon VII (Ginpei/Tomomori, Gonta), Arashi Sangorô III (Tadanobu/the fox Genkurô) and Nakayama Hyakka (Yoshitsune).

3rd lunar month of 1812: Yoshio played at the Kita-Horie Ichi-no-Gawa Shibai (Ôsaka) the roles of the courtesans Umegawa and Okon in the dramas "Koi Bikyaku Yamato Ôrai" and "Ise Ondo Koi no Netaba"; the roles of Umegawa's lover Chûbê and Okon's lover Mitsugi were played by Arashi Sangorô III.

9th lunar month of 1812: Yoshio played at the Kitagawa no Shibai the role of the courtesan Umegawa in the drama "Koi Bikyaku Yamato Ôrai"; the role of Umegawa's lover Chûbê was played by Onoe Shinshichi II.

11th lunar month of 1812: Yoshio played at the Naka no Shibai the role of Ohaya in the drama "Hirugaesu Nishiki no Tamoto", which welcomed in Ôsaka the Edo star Bandô Hikosaburô III. Yoshio also played the roles of Kaoyo Gozen, Okaru and Oishi in "Kanadehon Chûshingura".

1st lunar month of 1813: Yoshio's rank in the Kamigata hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, was jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual].

3rd lunar month of 1813: Yoshio played in the same theater the roles of Kiku-no-Mae and the courtesan Okon in the dramas "Ichi-no-Tani Futaba Gunki" and "Ise Ondo Koi no Netaba"; the role of Mitsugi (Okon's lover) in the latter drama was played by Nakamura Daikichi I.

8th lunar month of 1813: Yoshio played in the same theater the roles of Chidori and Oyoshi in the drama "Hirakana Seisuiki"; the role of Genta was played by Bandô Hikosaburô III.

2nd day of the 9th lunar month of 1813 ^[3]: a fire broke out in Ôsaka in a chaya near the Naka no Shibai; it partially destroyed this theater. The troupe moved to the Kado no Shibai.

9th lunar month of 1813: Yoshio played at the Kado no Shibai the roles of Yae and Tonami in the drama "Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami"; the roles of Sakuramaru (Yae's husband) and Genzô (Tonami's husband) were played by Ogawa Kichitarô III and Bandô Hikosaburô III (who did his isse ichidai performance in Ôsaka).

11th lunar month of 1813: Yoshio played in Kyôto at the Kitagawa no Shibai the roles of Kaoyo Gozen, Okaru and Osono in the drama "Kanadehon Chûshingura", which celebrated the isse ichidai performance of Bandô Hikosaburô III.

2nd lunar month of 1816: Yoshio played at the Kado no Shibai the role of the courtesan Umegawa in the drama "Koi Bikyaku Yamato Ôrai"; the role of Umegawa's lover Chûbê was played by Nakamura Utaemon III.

5th lunar month of 1816: Yoshio played in the same theater the role of Princess Yuki in the drama "Gion Sairei Shinkôki"; the roles of Matsunaga Daizen and Konoshita Tôkichi were played by Kataoka Nizaemon VII and Nakamura Utaemon III. He also played the role of Ôgiya Yûgiri in "Kuruwa Bunshô"; the role of Yûgiri's lover Fujiya Izaemon was played by Nakamura Utaemon III.

11th lunar month of 1816: Yoshio played at the Kitagawa no Shibai in the kaomise drama "Hôjô Jiraiki".

1st lunar month of 1817: Yoshio played at the Kado no Shibai the roles of Yodomachi Gozen and Oritsu in the new year ni-no-kawari drama "Keisei Chikugo-ga-Fuchi".

5th lunar month of 1817: Yoshio played in the same theater the roles of Koshina Danjô's wife Irie and Otane in the drama "Honchô Nijûshikô".

8th lunar month of 1817: Yoshio played at the Tenma Tenjin no Shibai (Ôsaka) the roles of Chidori and Ôgiya Yûgiri in "Hirakana Seisuiki" and "Kuruwa Bunshô"; the role Fujiya Izaemon was played by Arashi Sangorô III.

11th lunar month of 1817: Yoshio played at the Kitagawa no Shibai the roles of Sadaka and Omiwa in the drama "Imoseyama Onna Teikin"; the roles of Daihanji no Kiyosumi and Fukashichi were played by Arashi Sangorô III and Bandô Jûtarô. He also played the role of Shirotae in the drama "Onna Hachinoki".

1st lunar month of 1818: Yoshio's rank in the Kamigata hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, was (shiro)itaru-jô-jô-kichi ((white) unique - superior - superior - excellent) [Visual]. He was the kanjiku for all the Kamigata onnagata actors. Yoshio made his last stage apperance, in Kyôto at the Kitagawa no Shibai, where he played the roles of Tatsuta-no-Mae and Kan Shôjô in the classic "Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami". He suddenly fell ill in his inn on the Kamogawa river the 21st day of the 1st lunar month.

23rd day of the 1st lunar month of 1818 ^[1]: Yoshio died in Kyôto.

Comments:

Nakayama Yoshio I was a talented and popular Ôsaka onnagata actor, who achieved fame for himself in Kamigata during the 1810s. He was able to perform any kind of female role, in sewamono or jidaimono. His field of excellence was said to be nuregoto. His stage partners were the stars of the Bunka era (Nakamura Utaemon III, Arashi Sangorô III or Kataoka Nizaemon VII to name a few). It was also interesteing to note that he never try to tour in Edo and that his final rank ((shiro)itaru-jô-jô-kichi) was the same as his master's one and both actors received it the year of their death.

[1] The 23rd day of the 1st lunar month of the 15th year of the Bunka era was the 27th of February 1818 in the western calendar.

[2] The 19th day of the 2nd lunar month of the 10th year of the Kansei era was the 4th of April 1798 in the western calendar.

[3] The 2nd day of the 9th lunar month of the 10th year of the Bunka era was the 25th of September 1813 in the western calendar.

Nakayama Yoshio I playing the role of the courtesan Umegawa in the drama "Koi Bikyaku Yamato Ôrai", which was staged in the 2nd lunar month of 1816 at the Kado no Shibai (print made by Shunkôsai Hokushû)

Prints & Illustrations

The Nakayama Ittoku line of actors

The Nakayama Yoshio line of actors