Stage names:

Yamamura Tomoemon I
Tamamura Tomoemon
Urayama Heijûrô
Anegawa Tomogorô

Guilds: Himukaya, Akashiya

Line number: SHODAI (I)

Poetry name: Tôyû

Existence: 1763 ~ 24th day of the 6th lunar month of 1804 ^[1]

Connections:

Master: Yamamura Giemon II

Disciples: Yamamura Tomogorô, Yamamura Tomoemon II

Career:

1763 ~ 1783: born in Kamigata. He started his career in miyaji shibai, performing under the name of Anegawa Tomogorô.

Fall 1783: Anegawa Tomogorô took the name of Urayama Heijûrô.

11th lunar month of 1784: Heijûrô played in Kyôto at the Nishi no Shibai the role of Todoroki Daizô in Tatsuoka Mansaku's kaomise drama "Kuni no Hana Ôshimadai", which was produced by Nakayama Ihachi II.

Spring 1786: Urayama Heijûrô took the name of Tamamura Tomoemon.

Fall 1786: he became disciple of Yamamura Giemon II.

11th lunar month of 1786: he took the name of Yamamura Tomoemon I in Kyôto, performing in the kaomise drama "Shinchoku Niai no Enmusubi"; his stage partners were Arashi Sangorô II, Fujikawa Hachizô II, Otowa Jiroza II, Arashi Shichigorô II, Arashi Sanpachi I, Onoe Shinshichi I, Mimasu Tokujirô I, Yoshizawa Iroha I and Yamashita Yaozô I.

1st lunar month of 1789: Tomoemon's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, katakiyaku section, was jô-jô-(shiro)hankichi (superior - superior - (white) half excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1790: Tomoemon played at the Kado no Shibai the role of Shibukawa Tôma in the drama "Shin Usuyuki Monogatari".

9th lunar month of 1791: premiere of Nagawa Shimesuke I's chûshinguramono "Iroha Gana Shijûshichi Moji" in Ôsaka at the Kado no Shibai; Tomoemon played the roles of Ono no Kudayû, Yakushiji Jirozaemon, the tedai Ibê, Inoko Gunpei and Dennai [more details].

11th lunar month of 1792: Tomoemon played at the Kado no Shibai the roles of Matsuura Kenmotsu and the yakko Datehei in the kaomise drama "Hito no Kokoro-ni Kanô Kaomise". He also played the role of Kitôta in the drama "Gion Sairei Shinkôki".

11th lunar month of 1794: Tomoemon played at the Kado no Shibai the roles of Date Jirô and the yakko Tomohei in the kaomise drama "Tatematsuru Chibako no Tamamono".

11th ~ 12th lunar months of 1794: Tomoemon played in the same theater the roles of Sagisaka Bannai and Yakushiji Jirozaemon in the drama "Kanadehon Chûshingura".

1st lunar month of 1795: Tomoemon's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, katakiyaku section, was jô-jô-(shiro)kichi (superior - superior - (white) excellent) [visual].

3rd lunar month of 1795: Chikamatsu Monzaemon's drama "Komochi Yamanba", which was originally written for the puppet theater, was adapted for Kabuki for the first time, in Ôsaka at the Kado no Shibai; Tomoemon played the role of Monobe no Heita [casting].

11th lunar month of 1795: Tomoemon performed at the Kado no Shibai in Chikamatsu Tokuzô's kaomise drama "Ichiban Yari Tôkai Suzuri", which celebrated the shûmei of Fujikawa Hachizô III; his stage partners were Nakayama Bunshichi II, Sawamura Kunitarô I, Arashi Hinasuke II, Arashi Koroku III, Nakayama Bungorô I, Yoshizawa Iroha I, Mimasu Matsugorô I, his master Yamamura Giemon II and Asao Sennosuke.

4th lunar month of 1796: premiere at the Kado no Shibai of the drama "Hade Kurabe Ishikawa-zome", written by Chikamatsu Tokuzô, Tatsuoka Mansaku and Namiki Shôzô II; Tomoemon played the roles of Kuroda Kenmotsu and Fuji no Kurôji [more details].

11th lunar month of 1797: Tomoemon performed at the Kado no Shibai in the drama "Mote Hayasu Manryô no Tachibana", which was produced by Nakayama Yosaburô II and welcomed back in Ôsaka the actor Kataoka Nizaemon VII.

5th lunar month of 1798: Tomoemon played in the same theater the roles of Tamashima Hyôdayû and Mikawaya Giheiji in the drama "Natsu Matsuri Naniwa Kagami"; the role of Danshichi Kurobê was played by Kataoka Nizaemon VII.

Fall 1798: Ôtani Tomoemon II settled in Ôsaka; the two Tomoemon, Yamamura and Ôtani, performed in Kamigata up to the death of the former one.

11th lunar month of 1799: Tomoemon played at the Kado no Shibai the roles of Rokuzô and the yakko Togahei in the kaomise drama "Yunzei Tôri Yaguruma", which was produced by Fujikawa Katsujirô; he also plays 2 roles in the drama "Ashiya Dôman Ôuchi Kagami".

1st lunar month of 1800: Tomoemon's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, katakiyaku/jitsuaku section, was jô-jô-(hanshiro)kichi (superior - superior - (half-white) excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1802: Tomoemon played at the Minamigawa no Shibai the role of Hashimoto Jibuemon in the drama "Futatsu Chôchô Kuruwa Nikki".

5th day of the 1st lunar month of 1803 ^[2]: his master Yamamura Giemon II died.

5th lunar month of 1803: the two Tomoemon, Yamamura and Ôtani, performed together at the Kita-Shinchi no Shibai (Ôsaka) in the drama "Gion Sairei Shinkôki"; the former one played the roles of Satô Toranosuke Masakiyo and Yamaguchi Kurojirô.

Fall 1803: Tomoemon performed in Kyôto in miyaji shibai, in the precincts of the Inaba Yakushi temple; this was most likely his last appearance on a Kabuki stage.

24th day of the 6th lunar month of 1804 ^[1]: Tomoemon died in Ôsaka.

Comments:

Yamamura Tomoemon I was an important Kamigata actor, who excelled in katakiyaku roles from the end of the 1780s to the beginning of the 1800s.

[1] The 24th day of the 6th lunar month of the 1st year of the Bunka era was the 30th of July 1804 in the western calendar.

[2] The 5th day of the 1st lunar month of the 3rd year of the Kyôwa era was the 27th of January 1803 in the western calendar.

Yamamura Tomoemon I (left), Nakamura Kyôjûrô II (center) and Nakamura Monjûrô (right) playing the roles of Mihara Ariemon, Yamazaki Yogorô and Hiraoka Gôzaemon in the drama "Futatsu Chôchô Kuruwa Nikki", which was staged in the 4th lunar month of 1790 at the Naka no Shibai

The Yamamura Tomoemon line of actors