Stage names:

Sakata Hangorô III
Bandô Kumajûrô I
Bandô Kumajirô

Guild: Shôgatsuya

Line number: SANDAIME (III)

Existence: 1756 ~ 6th day of the 6th lunar month of 1795

Connections:

Masters: Sakata Hangorô II, Ichimura Uzaemon IX

Disciple: Sakata Hangorô IV (?)

Career:

1756 ~ 1771: born in Edo. He starts his career at the Ichimuraza as a disciple of Ichimura Uzaemon IX, who gives him the name of Bandô Kumajirô.

11th lunar month of 1771: Bandô Kumajirô takes the name of Bandô Kumajûrô I at the Ichimuraza, playing a katakiyaku role in the drama "Kono Hana Yotsugi no Hachinoki".

1771 ~ 1782: he becomes disciple of the actor Sakata Hangorô II at an unknown date.

17th day of the 5th lunar month of 1782: his master Sakata Hangorô II dies.

11th lunar month of 1783: Bandô Kumajûrô I takes the name of Sakata Hangorô III at the Moritaza, playing the role of Aoyagi Midorinosuke in the drama "Ono no Terusaki Yuki no Akebono".

11th lunar month of 1788: Hangorô plays at the Nakamuraza the role of Mitsuhide in Sakurada Jisuke I's kaomise drama "Tôzumô Hana no Edokata", which celebrates the return in Edo of the actor Nakamura Nakazô I.

11th lunar month of 1791: Hangorô plays at the Ichimuraza the roles of Iga Heinai and Tametomo in the kaomise drama "Kinme Nuki Genji no Kakutsuba", which celebrates the shûmei of Ichikawa Ebizô and Ichikawa Danjûrô VI.

3rd lunar month of 1795: Hangorô appears on stage for the last time, at the Kiriza, where he plays the role of Mitsuhide in the drama "Toki ha Ima Kuruwa no Hanamichi".

Comments:

Sakata Hangorô III was a good katakiyaku of the second half of the 18th century. His forte were jitsuaku roles, notably the role of Takechi Mitsuhide in Taikôki dramas.

Sakata Hangorô III playing the role of Ki no Natora in the drama "Komachi-mura Shibai no Shôgatsu", which was staged in the 11th lunar month of 1789 at the Nakamuraza (print made by Katsukawa Shunkô)

Print made by Katsukawa Shunkô in 1789

Print made by Tôshûsai Sharaku in 1794

The Bandô Kumajûrô line of actors

The Sakata Hangorô line of actors