Stage names:
Kataoka Nizaemon X
Kataoka Gadô III
Kataoka Matsuwaka
Kataoka Tsuchinosuke I
Other name: Kataoka Roen III
Real name: Kataoka Tsuchinosuke
Guild: Matsushimaya
Line number: JÛDAIME (X)
Poetry names: Gadô (3), Roen (3)
Crest: the ideogram for two (2 horizontal bars) in a circle
Existence: 13 March 1851 ~ 16 April 1895
Connections:
Father: Kataoka Nizaemon VIII
Brothers: Kataoka Tôkichi, Kataoka Shigejirô, Kataoka Nizaemon XI
Son: Kataoka Nizaemon XII
Grandsons: Kataoka Gadô V, Ichimura Yoshigorô II, Kataoka Roen VI
Career:
1851: born in Ôsaka.
1854: the Kataoka clan settles in Edo.
August 1856: he makes his first appearance on stage in Edo at the Nakamuraza, where he receives the name of Kataoka Tsuchinosuke and plays in the drama "Zôhô Suzuka Gassen".
October 1862: the Kataoka clan goes back to Ôsaka.
16 February 1863: his father Kataoka Nizaemon VIII dies.
1867: Kataoka Tsuchinosuke I takes the name of Kataoka Matsuwaka.
January 1872: Kataoka Matsuwaka takes the name of Kataoka Gadô III at the Kado no Shibai, playing the roles of Yokoyama Tarô and Shûrinosuke in the drama "Hime Kurabe Futabae no Zôshi".
February 1876: Gadô and his brother Kataoka Hidetarô I go together to Tôkyô.
March 1876: Gadô achieves a great success at the Nakamuraza by playing the role of Fujiya Izaemon in the drama "Gohiiki Kuruwa Bunshô", sharing the stage with Iwai Hanshirô VIII in the role of the courtesan Yûgiri. His brother takes the name of Kataoka Gatô III.
November 1876: Gadô becomes zagashira in the same theater and plays the roles of Ôboshi Yuranosuke, Kô no Moronô, Hayano Kampei, Yazama Jûtarô and Amakawaya Gihei in the drama "Chûkô Iroha Dango" (similar to "Kanadehon Chûshingura"). He also plays the role of the sumô wrestler Imagawa Jirokichi in the drama "Sekitori Senryô Nobori"
August 1879: Gadô takes part in the opening ceremony of the Hisamatsuza [info].
May 1883: premiere at the Ichimuraza of Kawatake Mokuami's drama "Shin Sarayashiki Tsuki no Amagasa"; Gadô plays the roles of Isobe Kazunosuke and Urato Monzaburô [casting].
October 1884: Gadô plays at the Ichimuraza the role of Tamiya Iemon in the drama "Katamigusa Yotsuya Kaidan" (similar to Tsuruya namboku IV's masterpiece "Tôkaidô Yotsuya Kaidan"); the roles of Oiwa, Kohei and Yomoshichi are played by Onoe Kikugorô V.
February 1885: Gadô takes part in the opening ceremony of the Chitoseza [info].
February 1886: Gadô plays at the Ichimuraza the role of Tanzaemon Motoyasu in the drama "Heike Nyogo-ga-Shima". His stage partners are Nakamura Fukusuke IV (Chidori), Nakamura Shikan IV (Shunkan) and Seki Sanjûrô IV (Senoo Tarô).
February 1889: the Kataoka brothers go back to Ôsaka after 13 years spent in Tôkyô.
January 1890: Gadô becomes zagashira at the Kado no Shibai, playing the roles of Ôboshi Yuranosuke, Kô no Moronô and Senzaki Yagorô in the classic "Kanadehon Chûshingura".
January 1895: Kataoka Gadô III takes the name of Kataoka Nizaemon X at the Bentenza (Ôsaka); he suddenly sinks into raving madness and dies a few months after his shûmei.
Comments:
Kataoka Nizaemon X was a talented actor able to perform a wide range of roles, as tachiyaku, katakiyaku or onnagata. His field of excellence was wagoto. He was endowed with a great voice and both his vocal projection and the way he delivered his lines were outstanding. As regards psychology, he was not a stable man and his quarrels with his brother Kataoka Gatô III (who refused to take part in his shûmei) or the Kamigata star Ichikawa Udanji I drove him insane.
Kataoka Nizaemon X in a posthumous print made by Toyohara Kunichika in January 1896
Print made by Yôshû Chikanobu in 1882
Print made by Yôshû Chikanobu in 1883
Print made by Toyohara Kunichika in 1883
Print made by Toyohara Kunichika in 1887
The Kataoka Roen line of actors
The Kataoka Gadô line of actors
The Kataoka Nizaemon line of actors
