MIMASU MATSUGORÔ I

Stage names:

Mimasu Matsugorô I In Japanese
Mimasu Matsunosuke [1] In Japanese
Takeda Matsunosuke In Japanese

Guilds: Sumiyoshiya, Katagiya

Nickname: Oranda

Line number: SHODAI (I)

Poetry name: Randa [2]

Existence: ???

Connection:

Master: Mimasu Daigorô I

Career:

Before 1763: born in Ôsaka. He was the son of Oranda Kihê [3], an urakata at the Chikugo no Shibai.

1763: his first stage name was Takeda Matsunosuke and he performed as a katakiyaku at the Takeda no Shibai.

1766: he became disciple of Mimasu Daigorô I and received the name of Mimasu Matsunosuke [1].

11th lunar month of 1774: he took the name of Mimasu Matsugorô I and made his debut in ôshibai, playing at the Kado no Shibai the roles of Akabashi Kurô and Sagami Tarô in the kaomise drama "Isagiyoshi Kusunoki Banashi", which was produced by Ogawa Kichitarô I.

3rd lunar month of 1779: premiere in Ôsaka at the Kado no Shibai of Namiki Gohê's play "Sode Nikki Banshû Meguri"; Matsugorô played the roles of Innami Daizô (later the hôin Dôrakubô) and Inami Daihachi [casting].

25th day of the 9th lunar month of 1780 [4]: his master Mimasu Daigorô I died.

12th lunar month of 1782: premiere in Ôsaka at the Kado no Shibai of Namiki Gohê's drama "Keisei Kogane no Shachihoko"; Matsugorô played the roles of Fuwa Dategorô, Saitô Gyôbu and Ishiguro Kanbê [more details].

5th lunar month of 1784: première in ôshibai, in Ôsaka at the Kado no Shibai, of the gidayû kyôgen "Yura no Minato Sengen Chôja"; Matsugorô played the roles of Yura no Saburô and Hora no Kyûsuke [casting].

11th lunar month of 1784: Matsugorô played at the Kado no Shibai the role of the yakko Sekisuke in the kaomise drama "Yunzei Konpira Musume", which was produced by Onoe Ushinosuke I.

1st lunar month of 1785: Matsugorô's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, katakiyaku section, was jô-jô-(shiro)hankichi (superior - superior - (white) half excellent) [visual].

1st lunar month of 1791: Matsugorô's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, katakiyaku section, was jô-jô-hankichi (superior - superior - half excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1794: Matsugorô performed at the Naka no Shibai in Nagawa Shimesuke I's kaomise drama "Kana Utsushi Azuchi Mondô" [5], which was produced by Nakayama Yosaburô II. He also played the role of Jinpachi in the drama "Tsuzure no Nishiki".

2nd lunar month of 1795: Matsugorô played in the same theater the role of the karô Yatsurugi Kageyu in the drama "Kiichi Hôgen Sanryaku no Maki".

3rd lunar month of 1795: Matsugorô's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, katakiyaku section, was jô-jô-(hanshiro)kichi (superior - superior - (half-white) excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1795: Matsugorô played at the Kado no Shibai the role of Kanateko no Kojibê 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 Koroku III, Arashi Hinasuke II, Nakayama Bungorô I, Yoshizawa Iroha I, Yamamura Giemon II, Yamamura Tomoemon I and Asao Sennosuke.

1st lunar month of 1796: Matsugorô played in the same theater the roles of the sendô Gonbê and the yakko Adonai in the new year ni-no-kawari drama "Keisei Hana no Ôminato".

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; Matsugorô played the roles of Katada no Kosuzume and Ueno's okugata [more details].

10th lunar month of 1796: Matsugorô played at the Minamigawa no Shibai the role of Yamaki Hachirô in the kaomise drama "Ebisu Daikoku Megumi no Kurairi", which starred Ichikawa Danzô IV, Yamashita Kinsaku II, Asao Tamejûrô I, Nakayama Bunshichi II, Anegawa Shinshirô III, Yamashita Yaozô I, Fujikawa Tomokichi I and Ichikawa Danzaburô IV. The troupe moved to the Naka no Shibai in Ôsaka in the 11th lunar month to perform the same kaomise program for 10 days.

1st lunar month of 1797: Matsugorô played in the same theater the roles of Ôtaki Heima and the tedai Hankurô in the new year ni-no-kawari drama "Keisei Asoyama Zakura".

11th lunar month of 1797: Matsugorô performed at the Minamigawa no Shibai in the kaomise drama "Nanboku Yuki no Miyako", which was produced by Arashi Kumanosuke and celebrated the shûmei of Arashi Raishi I and Arashi Sangorô III.

1st lunar month of 1798: Matsugorô's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, katakiyaku section, was jô-jô-(hanshiro)kichi (superior - superior - (half-white) excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1798: Matsugorô performed at the Naka no Shibai in the kaomise drama "Kogane Bana Genji no Sakigake" and the kiri kyôgen "Kaikei Yuki no Hachinoki", which were produced by Yamashita Kamematsu and welcomed in Ôsaka the actors Sawamura Sôjûrô III and Ôtani Tomoemon II; others main actors were Nakamura Utaemon III, Arashi Hinasuke II, Yamashita Kinsaku II, Onoe Koisaburô I and Fujikawa Tomokichi I. The troupe performed in Ôsaka from the 13th day to the 23rd day. Then, the actors moved to Kyôto to perfom from the 28th day in the same kaomise program at the Kitagawa no Shibai.

1st lunar month of 1799: Matsugorô's rank in the Kamigata hyôbanki, katakiyaku section, was jô-jô-(hanshiro)kichi (superior - superior - (half-white) excellent) [visual]. He was the kanjiku for katakiyaku actors.

11th lunar month of 1799: Matsugorô performed at the Minamigawa no Shibai in the kaomise program, which was made up of the dramas "Ame ga Shitashiru Kikyô no Hataage", "Saiwai Narukana Ariwara Keizu" and "Awa no Naruto".

11th lunar month of 1800: Matsugorô performed at the Kado no Shibai in the kaomise drama "Ehô Taikôki". The troupe moved to Kyôto to perform the same kaomise program at the Minamigawa no Shibai from the 24th day. Then, it moved back to Ôsaka to perform in the same drama at the Kita no Shinchi Shibai from the 8th day of the 12th lunar month. Matsugorô also played at the Kita no Shinchi Shibai the role of Itagaki Hyôbu in the drama "Honchô Nijûshikô".

1st lunar month of 1801: Matsugorô's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, katakiyaku section, was jô-jô-(hanshiro)kichi (superior - superior - (half-white) excellent) [visual].

3rd ~ 5th lunar months of 1802: Matsugorô played at the Kado no Shibai the roles of Yakushiji Jirozaemon and Ôta Ryôchiku in the drama "Kanadehon Chûshingura".

1st lunar month of 1803: Matsugorô's rank in the Kamigata hyôbanki, katakiyaku section, was jô-jô-(hanshiro)kichi (superior - superior - (half-white) excellent) [visual].

2nd lunar month of 1803: Matsugorô played at the Kado no Shibai the role of Haji no Hyôe in the drama "Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami".

5th lunar month of 1803: Matsugorô performed in the same theater in the drama "Ôtô-no-Miya Asahi no Yoroi".

7th lunar month of 1803: Matsugorô played at the Ônishi no Shibai the role of Ono Kudayû in the drama "Ehon Chûshingura" (belonging to the sekai of "Kanadehon Chûshingura"). He also played the role of the tedai Gonkurô in the drama "Tsuyu no Chô Kuruwa no Meigetsu" (belonging to the sekai of "Futatsu Chôchô Kuruwa Nikki").

11th lunar month of 1803: Matsugorô played at the Kado no Shibai the role of Takayasu Denzen in the kaomise drama "Hatsu Yagura Kogane no Manmaku", which was produced by Nakamura Noshio III and starred Kataoka Nizaemon VII, Nakamura Utaemon III, Arashi Kichisaburô II, Segawa Rokô III, Sawamura Kunitarô I, Kanô Minshi I, Yamashita Yaozô I, Nakayama Hyôtarô I, Seki Sanjûrô I, Ôtani Tomoemon II, Asao Tomozô I, Nakamura Kumetarô II, Ôtani Tokuji I, Yoshizawa Enjirô I and Arashi Izaburô I. The troupe moved to the Kita no Shinchi Shibai in the 12th lunar month to perform the same program for 10 days.

1st lunar month of 1804: Matsugorô's rank in the Kamigata hyôbanki, katakiyaku section, fell to jô-jô-(shiro)kichi (superior - superior - (white) excellent) [visual]. He was nevertheless the kanjiku for katakiyaku actors. Matsugorô performed at the Kado no Shibai in the new year ni-no-kawari drama "Keisei Hako Denju".

1st lunar month of 1805: Matsugorô's rank in the Kamigata hyôbanki, katakiyaku section, was back to jô-jô-(hanshiro)kichi (superior - superior - (half-white) excellent) [visual]. He was the kanjiku for katakiyaku actors.

3rd lunar month of 1805: Matsugorô played at the Naka no Shibai the roles of Yakushiji Jirozaemon, Ichimonjiya Tokubê and Fuwa Kazuemon in the drama "Kanadehon Chûshingura".

3rd lunar month of 1806: Matsugorô played at the Kado no Shibai the roles of Rôikkan and Tokushima Iwaji in the dramas "Kokusen'ya Gassen" [6] and "Ise Ondo Koi no Netaba". No record afterwards.

Comments:

Mimasu Matsugorô I was a popular Ôsaka katakiyaku actor, who was active from the first half of the 1760s to the second half of the 1800s. He was said to be better in sewamono than in jidaimono. He was ranked jô-jô-(hanshiro)kichi almost every season from 1795 to 1806 but he never reached the prestigious jô-jô-kichi level. He was also a few times the kanjiku for katakiyaku actors.

[1] Mimasu Matsunosuke was also the name of Mimasu Daigorô I's son.

[2] Randa came from Oranda Kihê, the name of his father without the O.

[3] The name Oranda was in fact Oranda, the name of the Netherlands in Japanese during the Edo period.

[4] The 25th day of the 9th lunar month of the 9th year of the An'ei era was the 22nd of October 1780 in the western calendar.

[5] This kaomise program was divided into two dramas, an afternoon drama entitled like the program and an evening program which was entitled "Atarimasu Yuki-mo Hikikata".

[6] The roles of Watônai, Kanki and Kinshôjo were played by Nakamura Utaemon III, Bandô Hikosaburô III and Yoshizawa Iroha I.

Mimasu Matsugorô I in an illustration from the book "Yakusha Mono Iwai" (1784)
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