Stage names:

Sanogawa Hanazuma III
Arashi Sanjûrô III
Sanogawa Sôkichi

Guild: Harimaya

Line number: SANDAIME (III)

Poetry name: Kigen

Existence: ??? ~ 1774 (?)

Connection:

Master: Sanogawa Hanazuma I

Elder brother: Sanogawa Hanazuma II

Career:

1748: younger brother of Sanogawa Hanazuma II and disciple of Sanogawa Hanazuma I, he starts his career as an iroko in Kyôto, performing under the name of Sanogawa Sôkichi.

11th lunar month of 1750: he becomes wakaonnagata in Ôsaka.

11th lunar month of 1752: the play "Ichi-no-Tani Futaba Gunki" is staged for the first time in Ôsaka, as a kaomise drama, at the Naka no Shibai; Sôkichi plays the roles of Taira no Atsumori and Kojirô [casting].

11th lunar month of 1756: Sôkichi plays at the Minamigawa no Shibai the role of Hanazono in the kaomise drama "Daimyô Bimandai Kuniiri Kamakura Kagami", which is produced in Kyôto by Sawamura Kunitarô I for the nadai Hayagumo Chôdayû.

11th lunar month of 1762: he becomes tachiyaku and takes the name of Arashi Sanjûrô III at the Kado no Shibai, playng the roles of Miyako no Tsuru and Yukie in the kaomise drama "Hachinoki Nendaiki".

12th lunar month of 1762: he plays in the same theater the role of the tedai Shôhachi in the drama "Futatsu Chôchô Kuruwa Nikki".

3rd lunar month of 1763: Sanjûrô's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, is jô-jô (superior - superior) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1763: he becomes wakaonnagata and takes the name of Sanogawa Hanazuma III at the Kado no Shibai, playing the role of the keisei Imamurasaki in the kaomise drama "Kachidoki Aun no Ishizue".

1st lunar month of 1764: Hanazuma's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, is jô-jô-(shiro)hankichi (superior - superior - (white) half excellent) [visual]. He shares the same rank as Arashi Hinasuke I, Nakamura Senzô and Kirinoya Hidematsu.

9th lunar month of 1764: première in Ôsaka at the Kado no Shibai of "Oriawase Tsuzure no Nishiki", based on the puppet drama "Katakiuchi Tsuzure no Nishiki", which is produced by Nakayama Bunshichi I and celebrates the 16th anniversary (17th memorial service) of the passing away of the star Anegawa Shinshirô I. A similar play is staged one day later under a different title, "Hare Kosode Tsuzure no Nishiki", at the Naka no Shibai [casting]. The competition for the best performance and the best line-up is open between the 2 theaters. The performance at the Kado no Shibai is more successful than the one at the Naka no Shibai; Hanazuma plays at the Kado no Shibai the role of Oharu's sister [casting].

11th lunar month of 1764: Hanazuma performs at the Kado no Shibai in the kaomise drama "Momotarô Obako Banashi", which celebrates the shûmei of Yoshizawa Ayame III and Onoe Shichisaburô.

1st lunar month of 1765: Hanazuma's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, is jô-jô-(shiro)kichi (superior - superior - (white) excellent) [visual].

Fall 1772: Hanazuma goes to Kyôto.

11th lunar month of 1772: Hanazuma plays at the Kitagawa no Shibai the role of the keisei Shiradayû in the kaomise "Shiraume Genji Kuruwa no Hachinoki", which is produced by Anegawa Chiyosaburô II.

1st lunar month of 1773: Hanazuma's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, is two black strokes above jô-jô-(shiro)kichi (superior - superior - (white) excellent) [visual].

2nd lunar month of 1773: Hanazuma plays in the same theater the role of Tonase in the drama "Kanadehon Chûshingura".

11th lunar month of 1773: Hanazuma plays in Kyôto the role of Watanabe no Tsuna's wife in the kaomise drama "Etari ya Etari Tsuwamono Majiwari"; the role of Watanabe no Tsuna is played by Onoe Shinshichi I.

1st lunar month of 1774: Hanazuma plays in Kyôto in the same theater the role of Katsura Gozen in the new year drama "Keisei Miyako no Nishiki"; this is most likely his last appearance on stage.

Comments:

The onnagata actor Sanogawa Hanazuma III was active in Kamigata from the end of the 1740s to the beginning of the 1770s. He switched to tachiyaku only for one season in 1762-1763, when he was allowed to take the prestigious name of Arashi Sanjûrô but his voice was the one of an onnagata and he failed being a good tachiyaku. He quickly reverted to female roles and was quite successful, although he did not reach the same level of fame as his master Sanogawa Hanazuma I or his elder brother Sanogawa Hanazuma II. He most likely died in 1774.

Sanogawa Hanazuma III playing the role of Ofude in the drama "Hirakana Seisuiki", which was staged in the 12th lunar month of 1766 at the Kado no Shibai (on the left side, Nakayama Shinkurô I playing the role of the boatman Gonshirô)

Prints & Illustrations

The Arashi Sanjûrô line of actors

The Sanogawa Hanazuma line of actors