Stage names:

Ichiyama Sukegorô I
Sakakiyama Sukegorô
Ichikawa Matatarô
Ichikawa Kiyota
Ichikawa Kiyotarô
Dekishima Kiyosaburô
Kazakiri Tatsunosuke
Kazakiri Chûnosuke

Guild: Matsuya

Line number: SHODAI (I)

Poetry name: Shizan

Existence: 1692 ~ 10th day of the 5th lunar month of 1747 ^[1]

Connection:

Master: Ichikawa Danjûrô I

Son: Ichiyama Sukegorô II

Disciples: Ichiyama Dengorô, Ichiyama Shichijûrô I, Ichiyama Shimanosuke (?) ^[4], Ichiyama Bokuhei (?) ^[5], Ichiyama Gennosuke

Career:

1692~1699: born in Edo. Son of a yakko named Iemon. He started his career at an early age, performing in kodomo shibai under the names of Kazakiri Chûnosuke and Kazakiri Tatsunosuke.

1st lunar month of 1700: he took the name of Dekishima Kiyosaburô and performed as a wakashugata at the Moritaza.

Beginning of the 1700s: he became disciple of Ichikawa Danjûrô I and received the name of Ichikawa Kiyotarô.

19th day of the 2nd lunar month of 1704 ^[2]: his master Ichikawa Danjûrô I died.

1708: his stage name was changed to Ichikawa Kiyota.

Fall 1709: he went to Ôsaka.

11th lunar month of 1709: he took the name of Ichikawa Matatarô in Ôsaka at Shioya Kuroemon's theater, performing in the kaomise "Inari Chôja Kokonotsu Kogura", which was produced by Iwai Hanshirô II.

Fall 1711: he went back to Edo with Osagawa Tatsuya and Takezawa Magoheiji.

11th lunar month of 1711: he took the name of Sakakiyama Sukegorô and performed at the Moritaza in the kaomise drama "Kôbai no Momoyoguruma".

Fall 1713: he went to Ôsaka.

11th lunar month of 1713: he took the name of Ichiyama Sukegorô I and performed in Azuma Sanpachi's kaomise drama "Onna Fude Yôbunshô", which was produced by Arashi San'emon III and Ogino Yaegiri I.

11th lunar month of 1717: Sukegorô played at the Naka no Shibai the role of Ishimaru Kanjûrô in the kaomise drama "Inari Yashiki Daikoku Bashira", which was produced by Sawamura Chôjûrô I.

12th lunar month of 1717: Sukegorô played in the same theater the role of Chôemon in the kiri kyôgen "Ôsaka Shinjû Hajimari" ^[3]; the role of Chôemon's lover Ichinojô was played by Sanogawa Mangiku.

1st lunar month of 1720: first Kabuki adaptation of Chikamatsu Monzaemon's puppet theater drama "Heike Nyogo no Shima", which was produced by Takeshima Kôzaemon II in Ôsaka at the Naka no Shibai; Sukegorô played the roles of Tanzaemon Motoyasu and Ariômaru [casting].

11th lunar month of 1720: Sukegorô played at the Naka no Shibai the role of Tamatsushima Yaichirô in the kaomise drama "Daimyô Nishiki no Kusazuri", which was produced by the zamoto Takeshima Kôzaemon II.

11th lunar month of 1722: Sukegorô played in Kyôto at Miyako Mandayû's theater the role of the wakadono Kôzu Ôenojô in the kaomise drama "Ôbashira Kogane no Sazare Ishi", which was produced by Segawa Kikunojô I.

11th lunar month of 1723: Sukegorô played in Kyôto the role of Kamigaki Jônosuke in the kaomise drama "Tatsu Goyomi Daishô Wagô no Tsurugi", which was produced by Ogino Yaegiri I.

11th lunar month of 1724: Sukegorô played in Kyôto the role of Yamanoi Sasuke in the kaomise drama "Ôjigawa Kogane no Mizuguruma", which was produced at Miyako Mandayû's theater by Segawa Kikunojô I, welcomed in Kyôto the Edo actor Ôtani Hiroji I and celebrated the shûmei of Ichiyama Hankurô.

11th lunar month of 1727: Sukegorô produced in Kyôto at Miyako Mandayû's theater the kaomise drama "Masu Kagami Eitai Gura".

1st lunar month of 1731: Sôzaburô played in Kyôto at Kameya Kumenojô's theater the roles of the wakadono Utanojô and Gengo's younger brother Tamaru Hanroku in the new year ni-no-kawari drama "Keisei Mikasayama".

11th lunar month of 1732: Sukegorô performed in Kyôto at Kameya Kumenojô's theater in the kaomise drama "Hayazaki Kogane no Hanabusa"; his stage partners were Arashi Kanshirô I, Fujioka Daikichi, Nakamura Kiyosaburô I, Somenoi Hanshirô, Matsushima Moheiji, Kirinami Takie, Tomizawa Montarô I, Shinozuka Kazaemon and Arashi Koroku I.

1st lunar month of 1733: Sukegorô's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual]. He shared the same rank with Nakamura Shingorô I, Sakakiyama Shirotarô I and Arashi Kanshirô I.

Fall 1733: Sukegorô went back to Ôsaka.

11th lunar month of 1733: Sukegorô played at the Ônishi no Shibai the role of Tamate Hikoroku in the kaomise drama "Shigeri Matsu Kogane no Takaragura", which was produced by Nakamura Jûzô I.

1st lunar month of 1734: Sukegorô's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual]. He shared the same rank with Sawamura Otoemon I and Arashi Sangorô I.

9th lunar month of 1735: Sukegorô played at the Ônishi no Shibai the role of Abe no Yasuna in the drama "Ashiya Dôman Ôuchi Kagami"; his stage partners were Yoshizawa Ayame II (Kuzu-no-Ha) and Nakamura Jûzô I (Dôman).

11th lunar month of 1736: Sukegorô played in Kyôto in the kaomise drama "Tomi no Ichi Kogane no Aratama", which was produced by Nakamura Tomijûrô I; his stage partners were Nakamura Shingorô I, Sakurayama Shirosaburô II, Yamashita Kinsaku I, Yamanaka Heijûrô I, Sanogawa Mangiku, Arashi Shichigorô I, Tatsuoka Hisagiku and Tatsuoka Someemon.

11th lunar month of 1738: Sukegorô performed at the Ônishi no Shibai in the kaomise drama "Kusunoki Yakata Sennen Gitsune", which was produced by Yoshizawa Ayame II and celebrated the arrival in Ôsaka of Bandô Hikosaburô I; the line-up included also the actors Tsuuchi Monzaburô I, Segawa Kikunojô I, Ichiyama Dengorô and Matsushima Moheiji.

11th lunar month of 1742: Sukegorô performed at the Kado no Shibai in the kaomise drama "Sangoku Denrai no Ishi", which was produced by Iwai Hanshirô III; his stage partners were Mimasu Daigorô I, Segawa Kikujirô I, Mihogi Gizaemon I, Somenoi Hanshirô and Yamashita Kinsaku I.

11th lunar month of 1745: Sukegorô produced at the Naka no Shibai the kaomise drama "Onna Musha Ukisu Gassen", in which he played the role of Sasaki Moritsuna; his troupe included Arashi Shichigorô I, Sakakiyama Koshirô I, Segawa Somematsu, Sanjô Namie I, Nakamura Jiroza I, Ichikawa Sadanji I, Bandô Toyosaburô I, Anegawa Daikichi I, Arashi Sangorô II, Hanagiri Toyomatsu II and Onogawa Kamegiku.

12th lunar month of 1745: the drama "Natsu Matsuri Naniwa Kagami" was performed for the first time in Ôsaka, simultaneously in the three major theaters of the city, which started a competition for the best performance; Sukegorô produced this drama at the Naka no Shibai and played the role of Issun Tokubê [casting].

8th ~ 9th lunar months month of 1746: Sukegorô produced in the same theater the drama "Keisei Asama-ga-Dake", in which he played the role of Miura Wadaemon. This was most likely his last stage appearance.

10th day of the 5th lunar month of 1747 ^[1]: Sukegorô died in Ôsaka.

Comments:

Ichiyama Sukegorô I was an important tachiyaku actor, who made a long and successful career during the first half of the 18th century. An interesting feature of this actor was that he was born and trained in Edo but achieved fame for himself in Kamigata (a rare feature around his time, the opposite being more usual), where he became a top-ranking actor, holding the prestigious jô-jô-kichi rank for 13 years.

[1] The 10th day of the 5th lunar month of the 4th year of the Enkyô era was the 17th of June 1747 in the western calendar.

[2] The 19th day of the 2nd lunar month of the 17th year of the Genroku era was the 24th of March 1704 in the western calendar.

[3] This drama was a shinjûmono based on the story of Chôemon and his lover Ichinojô. The 17th day of the 5th lunar month of the 3rd year of the Tenna era (the 11th of June 1683 in the western calendar), the courtesan Yamatoya Ichinojô and her lover Goze no Chôemon committed suicide together in Ôsaka. This event caused quite a stir and three Ôsaka theaters decided to capitalize on the situation by simultaneously producing the same month the first shinjûmono of Kabuki history.

[4] This is our assumption. These two actors were recorded as performing together. For example in the 11th lunar month of 1717 in Ôsaka at the Naka no Shibai.

[5] This is our assumption. These two actors were recorded as performing together. For example in the 11th lunar month of 1745 in Ôsaka at the Naka no Shibai, they performed together in the kaomise drama "Onna Musha Ukisu Gassen".

The actors Ichiyama Sukegorô I (right) and Segawa Somematsu (left) performing in the 11th lunar month of 1745 at the Naka no Shibai in the kaomise drama "Onna Musha Ukisu Gassen"