Stage names:
Sakakiyama Koshirô I
Sakakiyama Heishirô
Sakakiyama Onoe
Line number: SHODAI (I)
Poetry name: Senzan
Existence: 1671 ~ 15 June 1747
Connection:
Adopted father: Sakakiyama Heiemon
Adopted son: Sakakiyama Sagisuke (Sakakiyama Koshirô II)
Disciples: Sakakiyama Kansuke I, Sakakiyama Fujisaburô, Sakakiyama Onojûrô, Sakakiyama Shirojirô, Sakakiyama Shirojûrô, Sakakiyama Yosojûrô, Tatsuoka Someemon
Career:
1671 ~ 1693: son of a rônin named Takahashi, he is adopted by the oyajigata actor Sakakiyama Heiemon, who gives him the name of Sakakiyama Onoe. Later on, he takes the name of Sakakiyama Heishirô.
1693: he takes the name of Sakakiyama Koshirô I and makes his debut as a wakaonnagata in Ôsaka.
1694 ~ 1701: he is the member of a countryside travelling troupe.
January 1702: Koshirô becomes tachiyaku and plays the role of the rônin Ichihara Shinodanosuke in the drama "Kuramayama Enbiki no Tsuna", which is produced in Ôsaka by Takeshima Kôjûrô.
Winter 1706: Koshirô settles in Kyôto.
January 1706: Koshirô plays the role of Tayuragi Tôtarô in the drama "Keisei Motomezuka", which is produced in Kyôto by Takeshima Kôjûrô.
February 1707: Koshirô becomes zamoto and produces in Kyôto the drama "Keisei Ishiyamadera".
March 1709: Koshirô's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, is jô (superior).
November 1709: Koshirô goes back to Ôsaka and plays in the kaomise drama "Chigo Daimyô Kyô Miyage", which is produced by his adopted son Sakakiyama Shirotarô I.
March 1710: Koshirô's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, is jô (superior).
Fall 1711: Koshirô settles in Kyôto.
November 1711: Koshirô plays the role of Miyakoji Kikutarô (performing a roppô in the tanzen style) in the kaomise drama "Kikenjô", which is produced at Hoteiya Umenojô's theater by his adopted son Sakakiyama Shirotarô I.
January 1713: Koshirô's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, is jô-(shiro)jô (superior - (white) superior).
November 1714: Koshirô plays the role of Shinzaemon in the kaomise drama "Azuma-zukuri Ôdaidokoro", which is produced at Kameya Kumenojô's theater by his adopted son Sakakiyama Shirotarô I.
January 1715: Koshirô's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, is jô-jô-(shiro)kichi (superior - superior - (white) excellent).
Fall 1716: first Kabuki adaptation of Chikamatsu Monzaemon's masterpiece "Kokusen'ya Gassen", which is produced by the zamoto Sakakiyama Shirotarô I in Kyôto at Miyako Mandayû's theater; Koshirô plays the role of Watônai [casting].
January 1717: Koshirô's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, falls a little bit to a lower rank, jô-jô (superior - superior).
March 1717: Koshirô plays the role of Watônai in the drama "Kokusen'ya Gonichi Gassen", which is produced by Yamatoya Jimbei III at Hoteiya Umenojô's theater.
January 1718: Koshirô's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, is jô-jô-shôkichi (superior - superior - little excellent).
February 1718: First Kabuki adaptation of Chikamatsu Monzaemon's drama "Nihon Furisode Hajime", which is produced by his adopted son Sakakiyama Shirotarô I in Kyôto at Hayagumo Chôdayû's theater; Koshirô plays the role of Susanoo [casting].
January 1719: Koshirô's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, is jô-jô-(shiro)kichi (superior - superior - (white) excellent).
January 1720: Koshirô's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, is jô-jô-(hanshiro)kichi (superior - superior - almost excellent).
Fall 1723: Koshirô goes back to Ôsaka after 12 seasons spent in Kyôto.
November 1723: Koshirô plays at the Ônishi no Shibai the role of the rônin Nunobiki Jinroku in the kaomise drama "Fukujukai Kogane no Minato", which is produced by his adopted son Sakakiyama Shirotarô I.
January 1724: Koshirô's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, is jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent).
November 1725: Koshirô plays at the Ônishi no Shibai the role of Takatsuji Yasaemon in the kaomise drama "Gokoku Jôju Naniwa no Yakata".
Fall 1726: Koshirô goes to Kyôto to perform at Miyako Mandayû's theater; there is no kaomise in November in this theater.
September 1727: Koshirô plays at Miyako Mandayû's theater the role of Gengobei in the drama "Ise Heiji Nennen Kagami", which is produced by Segawa Kikujirô I.
Fall 1727: Koshirô goes back to Ôsaka.
November 1727: Koshirô plays at the Naka no Shibai the role of Shikishima Wadayû in the kaomise drama "Imosegami Aioi no Futabayama", which is produced by Yamamoto Kyôshirô I.
Fall 1729: Koshirô goes to Kyôto.
November 1729: Koshirô plays the role of Mochizuki Gorobei in the kaomise drama "Fukuju Yakata Wagô no Futabashira", which is produced at Kameya Kumenojô's theater by his adopted son Sakakiyama Shirotarô I.
November 1730: Koshirô plays the role of Mochizuki Gorobei in the kaomise drama "Eiraku Shiki no Kogane", which is produced at Kameya Kumenojô's theater by his adopted son Sakakiyama Shirotarô I.
Spring 1732: tour in Nagoya.
Fall 1732: Koshirô, Anegawa Shinshirô I and Arashi Otohachi I go together to Edo.
November 1732: Koshirô plays at the Nakamuraza in the kaomise drama "Yamato Kotoba Imagawajô".
January 1733: Koshirô's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, is jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent).
Fall 1733: Koshirô goes back to Kyôto.
November 1733: Koshirô plays the role of Nunobiki Gontazaemon in the kaomise drama "Chôseiden Kogane no Shikigawara", which is produced at Kameya Kumenojô's theater by his adopted son Sakakiyama Shirotarô I.
November 1734: Koshirô plays the role of the idiot ("Aho") Yomosaku, in reality Takeguchi Senjûrô, in the kaomise drama "Oyayuzuri Kogane no Katokugura", which is produced at Kameya Kumenojô's theater by his adopted son Sakakiyama Shirotarô I.
November 1735: Koshirô plays the role of Sakakiyama Koshirô (!!!), in reality Sekiya Bansaku, in the kaomise drama "Shin-yakata Banzei no Ishizue", which is produced by Arashi Koroku I at Ebisuya Kichirôbei's theater.
January 1736: there are two kanjiku for tachiyaku actors in the Kyôto hyôbanki; Koshirô is the "jitsu kanjiku" (the real kanjiku) and Arashi San'emon III is the "iro kanjiku" (the sexy kanjiku).
November 1736: Koshirô plays the role of Tachibana Takuminosuke in the kaomise drama "Hiyoku Kin no Takaragura", which is produced at Daikokuya Takenojô's theater by Yoshizawa Tamazuma.
November 1738: Koshirô plays the role of Akagi Saemon in the kaomise drama "Neko no Koneko", which is produced at Hoteiya Umenojô's theater (Minamigawa no Shibai) by Mizuki Tatsunosuke II.
May 1739: first Kabuki adaptation of the Matsuda Bunkôdô, Takeda Izumo I, Takeda Koizumo, Miyoshi Shôraku and Asada Kakei puppet theater drama "Hirakana Seisuiki"; Koshirô plays the role of Gonshirô [casting].
December 1740: Koshirô plays in the drama "Chinpô Sandai Gatana", which is produced by his adopted son Sakakiyama Shirotarô I's son Sakakiyama Jûtarô I at Hayagumo Chôdayû's theater. The title of this drama, literally "the rare treasure - three generations of swords", an allusion to the three generations of actors of the Sakakiyama clan sharing the same stage, has also a different suggestive meaning because the word chinpô is the penis!
August 1741: the play "Shin Usuyuki Monogatari", which was originally written for the puppet theater, is adapted to Kabuki for the first time, in Kyôto at Hayagumo Chôdayû's theater; Koshirô plays the role of Gorobei Masamune [casting].
November 1741: Koshirô takes part (but does not play any role) in the kaomise drama "Imayô Shinoda Zuma", which is produced by Nakamura Kumetarô I at Miyako Mandayû's theater.
January 1742: Koshirô is sôkanjiku ("global kanjiku") in the Kyôto hyôbanki.
November 1742: Koshirô plays the role of Ibuki Genjibei in the kaomise drama "Yamato-fumi Kaoyo Hinagata", which is produced at Ebisuya Kichirôbei's theater by Sakata Ichitarô.
December 1745: the drama "Natsu Matsuri Naniwa Kagami" is performed for the first time in Ôsaka, simultaneously in the three major theaters of the city, which starts a competition for the best performance; Koshirô plays the role of Tsuribune Sabu at the Naka no Shibai [casting].
15 June 1747: Koshirô dies in Kyôto; his tombstone is located in the precincts of the Myôdenji temple in Imperial city.
Comments:
Sakakiyama Koshirô I was a great and popular tachiyaku actor who achieved fame for himself in Kamigata from the end of the Genroku era to the beginning of the Kampô era, reaching the jô-jô-kichi rank in January 1724. He was active for 55 years and established the Sakakiyama clan as an important one in Kyôto. Son of a rônin, he excelled in rônin roles. Being able to play any kind of budôgoto roles, this short-sized actor was famous for his amazing sword tachimawari. His others fields of excellence were wagoto and jitsugoto.
Sakakiyama Koshirô I
The Sakakiyama Koshirô line of actors