Stage names:

Onoe Kikugorô IV
Onoe Baikô IV
Onoe Eizaburô III
Onoe Kikue
Nakamura Tatsuzô
Nakamura Kachô

Nickname: Baikô Kikugorô

Guild: Otowaya

Line number: YODAIME (IV)

Poetry names: Baikô (4), Kikue, Baifu

Existence: 1808 ~ 28th day of the 6th lunar month of 1860 ^[1]

Connections:

Father-in-law and adoptive father: Ôkawa Hashizô I (Onoe Kikugorô III)

Master: Nakamura Karoku I

Adopted sons: Onoe Eizaburô IV, Onoe Baikô 4.5, Onoe Kakunosuke

Career:

1808 ~ 1830: born in Ôsaka. He starts his career as a disciple of Nakamura Karoku I, who gives him the names of Nakamura Kachô and Nakamura Tatsuzô at unknown dates.

1st lunar month of 1831: he gets married with the daughter of the star Onoe Kikugorô III.

3rd lunar month of 1831: Tatsuzô is adopted by his father-in-law, receives the name of Onoe Kikue and settles in Edo with his new adoptive father.

8th lunar month of 1831: Onoe Kikue takes the name of Onoe Eizaburô III at the Ichimuraza, playing the role of Osode in Tsuruya Nanboku IV's drama "Tôkaidô Yotsuya Kaidan".

7th lunar month of 1837: premiere at the Ichimuraza of "Sanshô-dayû Kogane no Toridoshi", a revised and expanded version of the gidayû kyôgen "Yura no Minato Sengen Chôja"; Eizaburô plays the roles of Kuranoshin's wife Ôwada Sakurado and the Shimabara tayû Aoyagi [casting].

9th lunar month of 1839: premiere at the Kawarasakiza of the Kiyomoto-based dance "Shimero Yare Iro no Kakegoe", which is still part of the current Kabuki repertoire under the title "Kanda Matsuri". It stars Eizaburô, Sawamura Tosshô I and Ichikawa Ebizô V.

3rd lunar month of 1842: Eizaburô plays at the Kawarasakiza the role of Akoya in the drama "Kagekiyo". His stage partners are Ichikawa Ebizô V (Kagekiyo) and Ichikawa Kuzô II (Shigetada).

10th lunar month of 1842: Eizaburô takes part in the opening ceremony of the newly-built Nakamuraza in the district of Asakusa Saruwaka-chô, playing in the drama "Kinryûzan Chikai no Ishizue", which is produced by Nakamura Kanzaburô XII; his stage partners are Iwai Tojaku, Sawamura Tosshô II, Arashi Kichisaburô III, Bandô Hikosaburô IV, Osagawa Tsuneyo IV, Arashi Izaburô II and Ichikawa Danzaburô V.

6th lunar month of 1843: Eizaburô plays at the Kawarasakiza the role of Princess Taema in the drama "Mayoi no Kumoiro ni Narukami"; the role of the wicked priest Narukami is played by Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII.

1st lunar month of 1846: Onoe Eizaburô III and Onoe Kikunosuke I take the respective names of Onoe Baikô IV and Onoe Eizaburô IV at the Nakamuraza, playing in the drama "Nazorae Soga Ôeyama-iri".

4th lunar month of 1847: premiere at the Kawarasakiza of the dance-drama "Shiki no Hina Asakusa Hakkei" (commonly called "Kyô Ningyô"); Baikô plays the role of the spirit of the doll [casting].

24th day of the 4th lunar month of 1849: his adoptive father Ôkawa Hashizô I dies.

3rd lunar month of 1853: premiere at the Nakamuraza of Segawa Jokô III's drama "Yowa Nasake Ukina no Yokogushi" (commonly called "Kirare Yosa"); Baikô plays the role of Otomi [casting]. This performance is a huge success.

9th lunar month of 1854: Baikô achieves a great success at the Naka no Shibai (Ôsaka) by playing the roles of Masaoka, Kasane, Yorikane and Takao in the drama "Meiboku Sendai Hagi".

9th lunar month of 1855: Onoe Baikô IV takes the name of Onoe Kikugorô IV at the Ichimuraza, playing the roles of Masaoka, Kasane and Yorikane in the drama "Ki no Shita Kage Masago no Date Zome", whose plots and characters are similar to the classic "Meiboku Sendai Hagi".

11th lunar month of 1856: premiere at the Ichimuraza of Kawatake Shinshichi II's drama "Shôchikubai Yuki no Akebono"; Kikugorô plays the role of Osugi [casting]. Premiere at the Ichimuraza of the dance "Joro no Makoto Osada no Chûkô"; Kikugorô plays the role of Omatsu [casting].

1st lunar month of 1857: premiere at the Ichimuraza of Kawatake Shinshichi II's drama "Nezumi Komon Haru no Shingata" (commonly called "Nezumi Kozô"); Kikugorô plays the roles of the Koyamaya's goke Otaka, Matsubaya Matsuyama, Miura's mekake Wakakusa and Yoshitoki's mekake Shiraume [casting].

7th lunar month of 1857: premiere at the Ichimuraza of Kawatake Shinshichi II's drama "Ami Moyô Tôro no Kikukiri" (commonly called "Kozaru Shichinosuke"); Kikugorô plays the roles of okujochû Kikugawa (later the courtesan Goshuden no Okuma) and Nakamanjiya Tamagiku [casting].

3rd lunar month of 1858: premiere at the Ichimuraza of Kawatake Shinshichi II's drama "Edo Zakura Kiyomizu Seigen"; the nibanme of this drama is now entitled "Kurotegumi Kuruwa no Tatehiki" in the Kabuki repertoire (commonly called "Kurotegumi Sukeroku"); Kikugorô plays the roles of Princess Sakura, Omaki, Miuraya Agemaki and Otake [more details].

1st lunar month of 1859: premiere at the Nakamuraza of the Nagauta-based sanbasômono "Kotobuki Shiki Sanba"; Kikugorô plays the role of Senzai [casting].

4th lunar month of 1860: Kikugorô plays at the Nakamuraza the roles of Kaoyo, Kaoru, Tonase and Osono in the classic "Kanadehon Chûshingura".

28th day of the 6th lunar month of 1860 ^[1]: Kikugorô dies in Edo.

Comments:

Onoe Kikugorô IV was the only actor in this prestigious lineage to play mainly onnagata roles. His best role was the menoto Masaoka in the classic "Meiboku Sendai Hagi".

[1] The 28th day of the 6th lunar month of the 1st year of the Man'en era was the 14th of August 1860 in the western calendar.

Onoe Kikugorô IV playing the role of Masaoka in the drama "Meiboku Sendai Hagi" (print made in 1860)

Print made by Utagawa Kunisada in 1839

Print made by Utagawa Toyokuni in 1850

Print made by Utagawa Toyokuni in 1851

Print made by Utagawa Toyokuni in 1859

The Onoe Eizaburô line of actors

The Onoe Baikô line of actors

The Onoe Kikugorô line of actors