Stage names:

Seki San'emon
Seki Sanjûrô I
Arashi Sanjûrô IV
Arashi Sanjûrô II
Ogino Kichisaburô
Arashi Shichisaburô I

Guilds: Sekiya, Tachibanaya, Owariya

Poetry name: Sanchô

Existence: 1747 ~ 10 June 1808

Connections:

Masters: Arashi Hinasuke I, Arashi Koroku I

Adopted son: Seki Sanjûrô II

Disciple: Seki Shozô

Career:

1747~1771: born in Ôsaka. He starts his career as a disciple of Arashi Koroku I, who gives him the name of Arashi Shichisaburô I. He spends several years in a troupe of children-actors, performing in miyaji shibai. Later on, he settles in Ôsaka and takes the name of Ogino Kichisaburô at the Naka no Shibai.

March ~ May 1771: first Kabuki adaptation of the puppet theater drama "Imoseyama Onna Teikin", produced by Mimasu Tokujirô I at the Kitagawa no Shibai; Kichisaburô plays the roles of Yukinushi and the decchi Netarô [casting].

Fall 1771: he becomes disciple of the actor Arashi Hinasuke I, who gives him the name of Arashi Sanjûrô II:

November 1771: Sanjûrô becomes zamoto, and produces in Kyôto the kaomise drama "Bandai Isaoshi Genji".

Fall 1772: Sanjûrô produces in Kyôto the play "Yaegasumi Naniwa no Hamaogi".

November 1772: Arashi Sanjûrô II takes the name of Arashi Sanjûrô IV at the Kado no Shibai, playing in the drama "Hi-no-Moto Banzai no Hôrai"; the two names look the same but the ideogram for san is different (the ideogram for mountain is replaced by the ideogram for three):

December 1776: premiere at the Naka no Shibai of Nagawa Kamesuke I's drama "Igagoe Norikake Gappa"; Sanjûrô plays the roles of Uesugi Unai Akisada and Magohachi [casting].

April 1777: premiere in Ôsaka at the Naka no Shibai of Nagawa Kamesuke I's drama "Meiboku Sendai Hagi"; Sanjûrô plays the role of Shikata Geki [casting].

July 1780: Sanjûrô plays at the Kado no Shibai the role of Yoshitsune in the classic "Yoshitsune Sembon Zakura".

November 1786: Arashi Sanjûrô IV takes the name of Seki Sanjûrô I at the Ônishi no Shibai, playing 2 roles in the drama "Osanago no Katakiuchi".

February 1787: Sanjûrô plays at the Ônishi no Shibai the role of Yoshitsune in the classic "Yoshitsune Sembon Zakura".

October 1787: Sanjûrô plays at the Kitagawa no Shibai the role of Yoshitsune in the classic "Yoshitsune Sembon Zakura".

March 1788: premiere at the Kado no Shibai of Namiki Gohei I's play "Sewa Ryôri Yaoya Kondate"; Sanjûrô plays the roles of Heiemon and Hanjirô [more details].

March 1790: Sanjûrô plays in Kyôto at the Nishigawa no Shibai the roles of Takeda Shingen and the old woman Koshiji in the drama "Honchô Nijûshikô", which is produced by Kameya Kumenojô.

Spring ~ Summer 1790: tour in Ise.

December 1790: Sanjûrô plays at the Naka no Shibai the roles of Hayagawa Takakage and Sôemon's wife in the drama "Kinmon Gosan no Kiri", which is produced by Asao Sennosuke.

August 1792: Sanjûrô plays at the Kado no Shibai the roles of Yoshitsune and Kajiwara Heizô Kagetoki in the classic "Yoshitsune Sembon Zakura".

September 1792: Seki Sanjûrô I takes the name of Seki San'emon in the same theater, playing in the drama "Chûkô Homare no Futamichi". Around that time, he settles in Ôsaka in the district of Kuroemon-chô.

1794: tour in Ise.

January 1797: he takes back the name of Seki Sanjûrô I at the Kado no Shibai, playing 3 roles in the drama "Futatsu Chôchô Kuruwa Nikki".

May 1798: Sanjûrô plays at the Kado no Shibai the role of Tsuribune Sabu in the drama "Natsu Matsuri Naniwa Kagami", which is produced by Nakayama Yosaburô II. His stage partners are Kataoka Nizaemon VII (Danshichi Kurobei), Nakayama Bunzô (Issun Tokubei), Yamashita Kinsaku II (Okaji) and Yoshizawa Iroha I (Otatsu).

November 1800: first Kabuki adaptation of Chikamatsu Yanagi's puppet theater drama "Ehon Taikôki", which is produced by Nakayama Tokujirô at the Kado no Shibai; Sanjûrô plays the roles of Shima Sakon, Tôkichi and Uno Bungo [casting].

December 1804: Sanjûrô plays for the last time the role of Yoshitsune in the classic "Yoshitsune Sembon Zakura", which is produced by the zamoto Fujikawa Tatsuzô at the Kita-Horie Ichigawa no Shibai (Ôsaka).

November 1807: Seki Sanjûrô I and his adopted son Seki Utasuke respectively take the names of Seki San'emon and Seki Sanjûrô II at the Naka no Shibai.

1808: Seki San'emon and Seki Sanjûrô II go together to Edo. San'emon suddenly falls ill and dies the 10th of June 1808.

Comments:

Seki San'emon, the founder of the Seki clan, was a tachiyaku actor, who spent all his career in Kamigata and was a specialist in jitsuaku, wajitsu and budôgoto roles. One of his best roles was Minamoto Yoshitsune in the drama "Yoshitsune Sembon Zakura".

Seki San'emon (top/right) playing the role of Masayasu in the drama "Gion Sairei Shinkôki", which was staged in November 1792 at the Kado no Shibai
(illustration taken from the 1793 hyôbanki)
The others actors are Mimasu Matsugorô (top/left), Asao Tamejûrô I (bottom/left) and Fujikawa Tomokichi I (bottom/right) playing the roles of Yoshikage, Sezai and Otsuyu

Illustrations and prints of Seki San'emon

The Seki Sanjûrô line of actors