Stage names:
Ichikawa Chûsha VII
Nakamura Tsurujûrô
Ichikawa Yaozô VII
Nakayama Tsurugorô
Onoe Tsunejirô
Real name: Hashio Kamejirô
Guild: Tachibanaya
Line number: SHICHIDAIME (VII)
Poetry name: Chûsha (7)
Existence: 1860 ~ 12 July 1936
Connections:
Masters: Ichikawa Danjûrô IX, Nakayama Kiraku III, Onoe Tamizô II
Adopted son: Ichikawa Chûsha VIII
Career:
1860 ~ 1864: born in Kyôto in the district of Daikoku-chô. His father Hashio Kyûhei, who is a pawnbroker, gives him the name of Kamejirô. He becomes disciple of the actor Onoe Tamizô II, who gives him the name of Onoe Tsunejirô.
Spring 1864: he makes his first stage appearance, within the precinct of the Fushimi Inari shrine in Kyôto, performing in the play "Suzuki Mondo".
1864 ~ 1875: Tsunejirô joins a travelling troupe and performs up to Ise. He meets in Nagoya the actor Nakayama Kiraku III, becomes his disciple and receives the name of Nakayama Tsurugorô. He becomes quickly the zagashira of a children-actors troupe.
Spring 1875: Tsurugorô settles in Tôkyô.
July 1879: Tsurugorô becomes disciple of the star Ichikawa Danjûrô IX and takes the name of Ichikawa Yaozô VII at the Saruwakaza, performing in the play "Chûkô Somewake Tazuna".
November 1879: Yaozô moves back to Kamigata; he plays the roles of Rokurô and Katô Kiyomasa in the plays "Dan no Ura Kabuto Gunki" and "Chôsen Kôfuku Ja no Me Natsu", which are staged at the Kadoza.
May 1881: premiere at the Saruwakaza of Kawatake Mokuami's drama "Ôsakazuki Shusen no Tsuwamono"; Yaozô plays the role of Hiraoka Jiemon [casting].
March 1882: he performs temporarily under the name of Nakamura Tsurujûrô at the Takashimaza, a minor theater in Ôsaka, and takes back the name of Ichikawa Yaozô VII the following month at the Kadoza.
Fall 188?: Yaozô moves back to Tôkyô.
January 1890: Yaozô plays at the Harukiza the role of Miuranosuke in the drama "Kamakura Sandaiki". His stage partners in the roles of Princess Toki and Sasaki Takatsuna are Nakamura Fukuen and Ichikawa Ennosuke I.
September 1891: Yaozô achieves a great success at the Kabukiza while playing the roles of Takebe Genzô and Fujiwara no Shihei in the classic "Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami".
December 1891: Yaozô takes part in the shûmei of Nakamura Tomijûrô III at the Harukiza; he performs in the plays "Fushimi no Tokiwa", "Chûshingura Meimeiden" and "Toshi no Ichi Kuruwa no Uchiiri".
July 1892: premiere at the Kabukiza of the drama "Kaidan Botan Dôrô", adapted to Kabuki from a famous Rakugo story created by San'yûtei Enchô; Yaozô plays the role of Miyanobe Genjirô [casting].
October 1894: Yaozô plays at the Harukiza the role of Abe no Munetô in the play "Sodehagi Saimon". His stage partners are Ichikawa Kuzô III (Sadatô), Nakamura Tomijûrô III (Sodehagi) and Ichikawa Kien (Yoshiie).
October 1900: Yaozô plays at the Masagoza the role of the smuggler Kezori in the drama "Koi Minato Hakata no Hitofushi".
March 1901: Yaozô plays at the Masagoza the role of Takechi Mitsuhide in the drama "Ehon Taikôki".
February 1903: Yaozô plays at the Tôkyôza the role of Iwafuji in the drama "Kagamiyama Kokyô no Nishikie". The roles of Onoe and Ohatsu are performed by Onoe Eizaburô V and Ichimura Kakitsu VI.
March 1903: premiere at the Kabukiza of the drama "Kichirei Soga no Ishizue", which is produced to celebrate the shûmei of Onoe Kikugorô VI, Onoe Baikô VI and Onoe Eizaburô VI; Yaozô plays the role of Oniô Shinzaemon [casting].
April 1904: premiere at the Kabukiza of Mori Ôgai's drama "Nichiren Shônin Tsujiseppô", in which Yaozô plays the role of the priest Nichiren.
January 1906: Yaozô plays at the Kabukiza the roles of the villains Lady Yashio and Nikki Danjô in the classic "Meiboku Sendai hagi". The role of Masaoka is played by Onoe Baikô VI.
November 1908: revival at the Kabukiza of the kabuki jûhachiban drama "Kagekiyo"; Yaozô plays the role of Iwanaga Saemon Munetsura [casting].
May 1909: Yaozô plays at the Suehiroza (Nagoya) the role of Yosaburô in the drama "Yowa Nasake Ukina no Yokogushi". The roles of Otomi and Kômori Yasu are played by Nakamura Shikan V and Ichikawa Danzô VII.
May 1913: Yaozô plays at the Minamiza (Kyôto) the roles of Motoemon and Mansuke in the drama "Tengajaya-Mura". His stage partners are Nakamura Fukusuke IV (Iori), Nakamura Shibajaku IV (Genjirô) and Nakamura Ganjirô I (Tôma).
January 1915: Yaozô plays at the Hongôza the role of the warrior Kumagai Jirô Naozane in the "Kumagai Jin'ya" scene of the classic "Ichi-no-Tani Futaba Gunki".
December 1915: Yaozô plays at the Kabukiza the role of Iwafuji in the drama "Kagamiyama Kokyô no Nishikie". The roles of Onoe and Ohatsu are performed by Nakamura Utaemon V and Ichimura Uzaemon XV.
October 1918: great shûmei at the Kabukiza; Ichikawa Yaozô VII takes the name of Ichikawa Chûsha VII by playing the role of Takechi Mitsuhide in the drama "Toki ha Ima Kikyô no Hataage". His adopted son Ichikawa Matsuo takes the name of Ichikawa Yaozô VIII. Chûsha is one of the haimyô used by the Ichikawa Yaozô line of actors and Ichikawa Chûsha VII is the first actor to use it as a stage name.
May 1919: Chûsha plays at the Kabukiza the role of Takechi Mitsuhide in the drama "Ehon Taikôki".
February 1922: Chûsha plays at the Shintomiza the role of Iwafuji in the drama "Kagamiyama Kokyô no Nishikie". The roles of Onoe and Ohatsu are performed by Nakamura Utaemon V and Onoe Baikô VI.
November 1923: Chûsha plays at the Minamiza in Azabu (Tôkyô) the role of Matsuômaru in the "Terakoya" scene of the classic "Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami". The roles of Matsuômaru's wife Chiyo and Takebe Genzô are played by Bandô Shûchô III and Kataoka Ichizô IV. This is the first kabuki performance to be staged in Tôkyô after the terrible earthquake that hit the city the 1st of September 1923.
January 1924: Chûsha plays at the Shôchiku Gekijô (Kôbe) the role of the warrior Kumagai Jirô Naozane in the "Kumagai Jin'ya" scene of the classic "Ichi-no-Tani Futaba Gunki".
January 1926: Chûsha plays at the Hongôza the role of the king of thieves Ishikawa Goemon in the drama "Sanmon". The role of Mashiba Hisayoshi is played by Nakamura Kichiemon I.
May 1926: Chûsha plays at the Asakusa Shôchikuza the role of Abe no Sadatô in the drama "Ôshû Adachi-ga-Hara". His stage partners are Bandô Shûchô III (Sodehagi), Bandô Mitsugorô VII (Munetô) and Ichimura Kamezô III (Yoshiie).
January 1927: Chûsha plays at the Kabukiza the role of the king of thieves Ishikawa Goemon in the drama "Sanmon". The role of Mashiba Hisayoshi is played by Ichimura Uzaemon XV.
February 1927: Chûsha plays at the Nakaza (Ôsaka) the role of the warrior Kumagai Jirô Naozane in the "Kumiuchi" scene of the classic "Ichi-no-Tani Futaba Gunki". The role of Kojirô/Atsumori is played by Nakamura Ganjirô I.
July 1927: Chûsha plays for the last time the role of Takechi Mitsuhide in the play "Ehon Taikôki", which is staged at the Kabukiza.
December 1928: Chûsha plays at the Minamiza (Kyôto) the role of Nikki Danjô in the "Yuka Shita" scene of the classic "Meiboku Sendai Hagi". The role of Arajishi Otokonosuke is played by Matsumoto Kôshirô VII.
March 1929: Chûsha plays at the the Shimbashi Embujô the role of Togashi in the dance-drama "Kanjinchô" His stage partners are Onoe Kikugorô VI (Benkei) and Ichikawa Sanshô V (Yoshitsune).
May 1930: Chûsha plays at the Kabukiza in Tôkyô the role of Kakuju in the "Dômyôji" scene of the classic "Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami". The roles of Kan Shôjô, Sukune Tarô and Tatsuta no Mae are played by Nakamura Ganjirô I, Matsumoto Kôshirô VII and Bandô Shûchô III.
June 1930: Chûsha plays at the Nakaza (Ôsaka) the role of Nikki Danjô in the classic "Meiboku Sendai Hagi". The roles of Arajishi Otokonosuke and Hosokawa Katsumoto are played by Matsumoto Kôshirô VII and Nakamura Ganjirô I.
December 1931: Chûsha collapses on the Kabukiza stage. He is very ill and has to rest for a few years.
October 1935: Chûsha appears on stage for the last time, at the Kabukiza, playing the roles of Nichiren and Kiichi Hôgen in the dramas "Nichiren Jônin Tatsu no Kuchi Hônan" and the "Kikubatake" scene of the drama "Kiichi Hôgen Sanryaku no Maki".
Comments:
Ichikawa Chûsha VII was a very talented tachiyaku, rigorously trained by Ichikawa Danjûrô IX, whose fields of excellence were the roles of jitsugoto and budôgoto.
Ichikawa Chûsha VII's best roles: Takechi Mitsuhide ("Ehon Taikôki" and "Toki ha Ima Kikyô no Hataage"), Matsuômaru ("Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami") and Nikki Danjô ("Meiboku Sendai Hagi"). The kata which he created for the role of Mitsuhide are still used nowadays.
Ichikawa Chûsha VII playing the role of Takechi Mitsuhide in the drama "Ehon Taikôki" (print made by Natori Shunsen in 1925)
Print made by Kôchôrô Hôsai in 1892
The Ichikawa Yaozô line of actors
The Ichikawa Chûsha line of actors