Stage names:

Segawa Kikunojô II
Segawa Kichiji II
Segawa Gonjirô

Other name: Segawa Rokô II

Nickname: Ôji Rokô

Guild: Hamamuraya

Line number: NIDAIME (II)

Poetry name: Rokô (2)

Blazon: the spray of tied cotton (yui wata)

Existence: 1741 ~ 13th day of the 3rd lunar month of 1773

Connections:

Adoptive father: Segawa Kikunojô I

Adopted son: Segawa Senjo

Disciples : Segawa Yûjirô I, Segawa Kichiji III, Segawa Otome

Career:

1741: born in the village of Ôji (close to Edo). He is likely to be the illegitimate son of Segawa Kikunojô I. His first name is Tokuji.

1745 ~ 1749: he is adopted by Segawa Kikunojô I and receives the name of Segawa Gonjirô at an unknown date.

9th lunar month of 1749: his adoptive father Segawa Kikunojô I dies.

9th lunar month of 1750: Segawa Gonjirô takes the name of Segawa Kichiji II at the Nakamuraza, performing the leading role of a Lion dance in the drama "Aki no Chô Katami no Tsubasa", which commemorate the 1st anniversary (2nd memorial service) of late Segawa Kikunojô I.

7th lunar month of 1751: Kichiji achieves a great success at the Nakamuraza, playing the role of Sankichi in the drama "Koi Nyôbô Somewake Tazuna" [casting].

11th lunar month of 1756: Segawa Kichiji II takes the name of Segawa Kikunojô II at the Ichimuraza, performing in the dance "Momo Chidori Musume Dôjôji" in duo with Ichimura Uzaemon VIII. His performance is a huge success.

11th lunar month of 1757: Kikunojô plays at the Nakamuraza the roles of Koshizuka in the kaomise drama "Onna Musha Kaijin Yashima".

1st lunar month of 1758: Kikunojô plays in the same theater the role of Osome in the drama "Osome Hisamatsu", included in the new year program "Toki Tsukaze Irifune Soga", sharing the stage with Ichikawa Danjûrô IV and Nakamura Kiyosaburô in the roles of Kyûsaku and Hisamatsu.

9th lunar month of 1758: Kikunojô plays in the same theater the role of Onui in the drama "Ono no Tôfû Aoyagi Suzuri". His stage partner in the role of Ono no Tôfû is Ichikawa Danjûrô IV.

3rd lunar month of 1761: Kikunojô plays at the Ichimuraza the role of the courtesan Agemaki in the drama "Sukeroku Yukari no Edo Zakura". His stage partners are Ichimura Kamezô I (Sukeroku), Ichikawa Danjûrô IV (the shirozake seller Shinbê) and Sawamura Sôjûrô II (Ikyû).

4th lunar month of 1762: Kikunojô achieves a great success at the Ichimuraza, dancing the seven roles of the program "Yanagi Hina Shochô no Saezuri". One of these roles is the first version of the famous dance "Sagi Musume".

Fall 1762: Kikunojô plays at the Ichimuraza the role of Okaru in the drama "Kanadehon Chûshingura"; his stage partner in the roles of Yuranosuke and Hayano Kanpei is Onoe Kikugorô I.

11th lunar month of 1762: Kikunojô plays at the Ichimuraza the role of Matsukaze in the kaomise drama "Kisoe Uta Sakae Komachi", which celebrates the shûmei of Ôtani Hiroji III.

2nd lunar month of 1763: Kikunojô plays at the Ichimuraza the roles of Osugi, Kewaizaka no Shôshô and Ôiso no Tora in the new year sogamono drama "Fûjibumi Sakae Soga"; the roles of Soga Jûrô Sukenari (Tora's lover) and Soga Gorô Tokimune (Shôshô's lover) are played by Ichimura Uzaemon IX.

1st lunar month of 1764: Kikunojô's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, is jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual].

8th lunar month of 1765: Kikunojô plays at the Nakamuraza the role of the courtesan Katsuragi in the drama "Keisei Fukubiki Nagoya", which commemorates the 16th anniversary (17th memorial service) of the death of Segawa Kikunojô I. His stage partners are Ichikawa Danjûrô IV (the prostitutes-trader (zegen) Hachibei, Yoshiigahama no Tadanori), Matsumoto Shichizô II (Katsuragi's daughter Omina) and Ichikawa Komazô II (Nagoya Sanzaburô).

11th lunar month of 1766: Kikunojô plays at the Ichimuraza the roles of Okuni and the courtesan Katsuragi in the kaomise drama "Higashiyama Dono Kabuki no Tsuitachi".

1st lunar month of 1767: Yaozô plays in the same theater the roles of the servant Otae, Kagekiyo's daughter Hitomaru, the Goddess Benzaiten and Yaoya Oshichi in the new year drama "Soga Yawaragi Soga".

2nd lunar month of 1767: first Kabuki adaptation, at the Ichimuraza, of Chikamatsu Hanji's puppet theater drama "Taiheiki Chûshin Kôshaku"; Kikunojô plays the roles of Osono, Okumi and Orie [casting].

3rd lunar month of 1767: Kikunojô plays in the same theater the role of the courtesan Tenmaya Ohatsu in the drama "Yoni Ôsaka Nitsui Meoto", which mixes Chikamatsu Monzaemon's dramas "Sonezaki Shinjû" and "Shinjû Yoi Kôshin"; the role of Ohatsu's lover Hiranoya Tokubê is played by Segawa Kikunojô II.

4th lunar month of 1768: Kikunojô plays at the Nakamuraza the role of Okaru in the drama "Kanadehon Chûshingura". His stage partners are Nakamura Shichisaburô II (Ôboshi Yuranosuke) and Ichikawa Danjûrô IV (Teraoka Heiemon).

7th lunar month of 1768: the play "Natsu Matsuri Naniwa Kagami" is produced at the Nakamuraza for the first time; Kikunojô plays the role of Otatsu [casting]. He also plays the role of Princess Yuki in the drama "Gion Sairei Shinkôki"; the roles of Matsunaga Daizen and Tôkichi are played by Ichikawa Danjûrô IV and Nakamura Denkurô II.

8th lunar month of 1768: premiere at the Nakamuraza of the drama "Tenjiku Tokubê Kokyô no Torikaji"; Kikunojô plays the role of Minoya Sankatsu [more details].

2nd lunar month of 1769: Kikunojô plays at the Nakamuraza the leading role of the Lion dance "Aioi Jishi".

3rd lunar month of 1770: Kikunojô's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, is (shiro)ô-jô-jô-kichi (almost grand - superior - superior - excellent).

1st lunar month of 1771: Kikunojô's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, is ô-jô-jô-kichi (grand - superior - superior - excellent).

8th lunar month of 1771: Kikunojô plays at the Ichimuraza in the drama "Keisei Nagoya Obi" but he suddenly falls ill and has to rest up to the 2nd lunar month of 1772.

2nd lunar month of 1772: Kikunojô appears on stage for the last time, at the Ichimuraza, playing in the drama "Wakaba no Kiku Kasumi no Wagaki". He falls ill and dies one year later in the 3rd lunar month of 1773.

Comments:

Segawa Kikunojô II made a dazzling career in Edo, becoming tateonnagata in 1758 at the age of seventeen, reaching the jô-jô-kichi and ô-jô-jô-kichi ranks respectively in 1764 and in 1771. From the beginning of the sixties, his popularity was so great that many features he used on stage became the latest fashion in the city of Edo, all of them named from his haimyô Rokô: a brown color (rokô cha, Rokô's brown), a hairstyle (rokô mage, Rokô's bun), a comb (rokô kushi) and a kimono belt (rokô obi).

Segawa Kikunojô II in a print made by Ippitsusai Bunchô (1769~1772)

Prints & Illustrations

Print made by Ishikawa Toyonobu in 1757

Print made by Kitao Shigemasa in 1767

Print made by Ippitsusai Bunchô in 1770

The Segawa Kichiji line of actors

The Segawa Kikunojô line of actors