Stage names:

Sawamura Gennosuke V
Kataoka Chiyomaro

Real name: Kimura Miyanosuke

Guild: Kinokuniya

Line number: GODAIME (V)

Poetry name: Seigaku

Existence: 13 January 1907 ~ 22 December 1982

Connections:

Father: Kimura Kinka

Mother: Kimura Tomiko

Father-in-law: Sawamura Gennosuke IV

Master: Kataoka Nizaemon XI

Career:

13 January 1907: born in Tôkyô; he is the son of the playwrights Kimura Kinka and Kimura Tomiko.

1913: he becomes a disciple of Kataoka Nizaemon XI.

March 1913: first stage apperance, at the Kabukiza (not in Tôkyô but in Ôsaka, district of Kujô), where he receives the name of Kataoka Chiyomaro and plays the role of Ôboshi Daizaburô in the drama "Yamashina Kankyo".

1932: he becomes nadai and gets married with the daughter of Sawamura Gennosuke IV.

16 October 1934: his master Kataoka Nizaemon XI dies.

April 1935: premiere at the Tôkyô Gekijô of "Saigo no Daihyôjô", the third play of Mayama Seika's cycle "Genroku Chûshingura"; Chiyomaro plays the role of Ushioda's wife Oyû [casting].

20 April 1936: his father-in-law Sawamura Gennosuke IV dies.

June 1936: Kataoka Chiyomaro takes the name of Sawamura Gennosuke V at the Tôkyô Gekijô, playing the role of Konami in "Michiyuki Tabiji no Yomeiri" and "Yamashina Kankyo"; his stage partners are Nakamura Baigyoku III (Tonase), Matsumoto Kôshirô VII (Honzô), Ichikawa Sadanji II (yuranosuke), Kataoka Nizaemon XII (Oishi), Ichikawa Yaozô VIII (the yakko Sekisuke) and Ichikawa Enshô III (Rikiya).

November 1938: revival at the Kokusai Gekijô (International Theater) of the drama "Fudô", which belongs to the Kabuki Jûhachiban; Gennosuke plays the role of Chitoseya Miyoshino [more details].

26 December 1944: his mother Kimura Tomiko died.

October 1954: premiere at the Kabukiza of the 2nd part of Funahashi Seiichi's drama "Ejima Ikushima"; Gennosuke plays the role of the Kabuki actor Takii Hanshirô [more details].

19 August 1960: his father Kimura Kinka died.

March 1967: revival at the National Theatre of Tsuruya Nanboku IV's masterpiece "Sakura Hime Azuma Bunshô", which is supervised by Gunji Masakatsu; Gennosuke plays the role of Nagaura [casting].

April 1971: revival at the National Theatre of Nagawa Shimesuke I's drama "Sumidagawa Gonichi no Omokage"; Gennosuke plays the role of the Eirakuya widow Oraku [casting].

April 1977: revival at the Meijiza of Katsu Genzô II's drama "Kimi-wa-Fune Nami no Uwajima"; Gennosuke plays the role of Senju [casting]. He also plays at the Kabukiza the role of Mitsuhide's mother Satsuki in "Ehon Taikôki"; the role of Mitsuhide is played by Ichimura Uzaemon XVII.

January 1979: Gennosuke plays at the National Theatre the role of Kyûsaku's wife in the drama "Nozaki-mura".

June 1981: Gennosuke plays at the National Theatre the role of Sabu's wife Otsugi in the drama "Natsu Matsuri"; the role of Sabu is played by Kawarasaki Gonjûrô III.

July 1981: revival at the Kabukiza of Tsuruya Nanboku IV's drama "Hitori Tabi Gojûsan Tsugi"; Gennosuke plays the role of Onami [casting].

22 December 1982: Gennosuke dies.

Comments:

Sawamura Gennosuke V was an important supporting onnagata (fukeoyama) actor, who was active in both Tôkyô and the Kamigata. He excelled in sewa nyôbô or back-streets women roles; among his most notable roles were also classic roles like Hamayû ("Sodehagi Saimon"), Asuka ("Shi-no-Kiri") or Kita-no-Kata ("Domo Mata"), tea-house mistress roles like Okisa ("Yoshidaya") or prosperous farmer's wife roles like Koyoshi ("Sanemori Monogatari").

Sawamura Gennosuke V playing the role of the courtesan Fujiya Azuma in the drama "Sumôba" (beginning of the 1940s)

The Sawamura Gennosuke line of actors