Stage names:

Morita Kan'ya IV
Bandô Matajirô IV
Bandô Nabetarô

Line number: YODAIME (IV)

Existence: ??? ~ 17th day of the 9th lunar month of 1743 ^[1]

Connections:

Great-grandfather: Bandô Matakurô I

Grandfathers: Bandô Matazaemon I, Fujikawa Buzaemon I

Father: Morita Kan'ya II

Brother: Fujikawa Heikurô

Brother-in-law: Bandô Kunigorô I

Adopted son: Morita Kan'ya V

Disciple: Bandô Matasaburô I (?)

Career:

1st lunar month of 1706: he makes his first stage appearance, at the Moritaza, where he receives the name of Bandô Nabetarô and plays the koyaku role of Senzaimaru in the new year drama "Terutehime Eitaigura".

11th lunar month of 1709: Bandô Nabetarô becomes wakashugata and takes the name of Bandô Matajirô IV at the Moritaza, playing in the kaomise drama "Tametomo Furiwakegami".

Spring 1712: Morita Kan'ya III, Bandô Matajirô IV and Bandô Matakurô II respectively take the names of Bandô Matakurô III, Morita Kan'ya IV and Bandô Matazaemon II. The new Kan'ya becomes both a tachiyaku actor and the zamoto of the Moritaza. He plays the role of Mongaku in the drama "Hama Yumi Soga".

11th lunar month of 1715: Kan'ya produces at the Moritaza Mitsushima Shichirôzaemon's drama "Hayazaki Onna Shimabara".

7th day of the 1st lunar month of 1717: a fire breaks out in the district of Owari-chô and destroys the Moritaza.

11th lunar month of 1717: Kan'ya produces at the Moritaza the kaomise drama "Hônô Taiheiki", which stars Ichikawa Danjûrô II, Hayakawa Dengorô, Ôtani Hiroemon I, Ogawa Zengorô I, Asao Jûjirô I, Imamura Motojûrô, Ichikawa Monnosuke I and Fujioka Daikichi.

24th day of the 2nd lunar month of 1722: his uncle Bandô Matakurô III, who held the name of Morita Kan'ya III from 1699 to 1712, dies.

11th lunar month of 1722: Kan'ya produces at the Moritaza the kaomise drama "Yoshitomo Fukujukai", in which he plays the role of Minamoto no Yoshitomo.

1st lunar month of 1723: Kan'ya produces in his theater the new year sogamono drama "Suiryô Soga" in which he plays the role of Soga Jûrô Sukenari.

11th lunar month of 1731: Kan'ya produces at the Moritaza the kaomise drama "Honryô Sakae Hachinoki", in which he plays the role of Sano Tsuneyo.

1st lunar month of 1734: the Moritaza goes bankrupt. The hikae yagura system is authorized by the Shogunate. Kan'ya gives his right for Kabuki performances to Kawarasaki Gonnosuke III, zamoto of the Kawarasakiza.

19th day of the 6th lunar month of 1734: his father Bandô Matakurô II, who held the name of Morita Kan'ya II from 1679 to 1699, dies.

17th day of the 9th lunar month of 1743 ^[1]: Kan'ya dies in Edo.

Comments:

Morita Kan'ya IV was a talented and handsome tachiyaku actor, performing a broad range of roles and styles like nuregoto, wagoto or aragoto. He excelled as well as a dancer and a musician. He was also the zamoto of the Moritaza for 22 years. Crippled by the theater debt, he could not avoid to go bankrupt in 1734. He did not appear anymore on stage up to his death in 1743.

[1] The 17th day of the 9th lunar month of the 3rd year of the Kanpô era was the 2nd of November 1743 in the western calendar.

Morita Kan'ya IV playing the role of Soga no Zenji in the new year drama "Nigiwai Suehiro Soga", which was staged in the 1st lunar month of 1721 at the Moritaza

The Morita Kan'ya line of actors and theater managers