Stage names:

Kasaya Matakurô II
Kasaya Matazô
Kasaya Matasaburô

Guild: Tachibanaya

Line number: NIDAIME (II)

Poetry name: Kojû

Existence: ??? ~ ???

Connection:

Father: Kasaya Matakurô I

Brother: Nakamura Noshio I

Career:

1748 ~ 1755: he performed as an iroko in Kyôto; his first stage name of Kasaya Matasaburô. He stopped acting at the beginning of the second half of the 1750s.

11th lunar month of 1761: he was back on stage, took the name of Kasaya Matazô, became katakiyaku and played in Kyôto the roles of Takasago no Matsugorô and Kawabe no Takekuma in the kaomise drama "Hitomaru Banzei no Utena", which was produced by Nakamura Senzô at the Minamigawa no Shibai.

1st lunar month of 1762: Matazô's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, katakiyaku section, was jô-(shiro)jô (superior - (white) superior) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1763: Matazô performed in Kyôto at the Kitagawa no Shibai in the kaomise drama "Shôchikubai Ôshimadai".

1st lunar month of 1764: Matazô's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, katakiyaku section, was two white strokes above jô-jô (superior - superior) [visual].

Fall 1766: Matazô went to Ôsaka.

11th lunar month of 1766: Matazô performed at the Kado no Shibai in the kaomise drama "Mukashi Mukashi Ôsaka to iu Zaisho no Yurai", which was produced by Arashi Hinasuke I.

1st lunar month of 1767: Matazô's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, katakiyaku section, was jô-jô-(shiro)hankichi (superior - superior - (white) half excellent) [visual]. He shared the same rank with Arashi Shichigorô II and Kirinoya Gonjûrô III.

18th day of the 3rd lunar month of 1767 ^[1]: his father Kasaya Matakurô I died.

11th lunar month of 1767: Matazô played at the Kado no Shibai the role of Kasahara Genba in the kaomise drama "Danjo Aishô Kagami", which was produced by Nakayama Raisuke I.

11th lunar month of 1768: Matazô played at the Kado no Shibai the role of Suminoe Toranosuke in the kaomise drama "Shin-yakata Banzei no Kotobuki", which was produced by Yamashita Yaozô I.

12th lunar month of 1768: Matazô played in the same theater the role of Hiraoka Gôzaemon in the drama "Futatsu Chôchô Kuruwa Nikki".

Fall 1769: Yamashita Kinsaku II and Matazô went to Edo to perform at the Moritaza.

11th lunar month of 1769: Kasaya Matazô took the name of Kasaya Matakurô II at the Moritaza, playing the roles of Taira no Tadafumi and the yakko Shigohei in the kaomise drama "Na ni Takashi Kumoi no Yumihari", which also celebrated the shûmei of Nakamura Shirogorô IV.

3rd lunar month of 1770: Matakurô's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, katakiyaku section, was jô-jô-(shiro)hankichi (superior - superior - (white) half excellent) [visual]. He shared the same rank with Ôtani Tomoemon I and Tomizawa Hanzaburô II.

6th lunar month of 1770: Matakurô played in the same theater the role of Danshichi Kurobê in the drama "Natsu Matsuri Naniwa Kagami"; the roles of Issun Tokubê, Tsuribune Sabu and Okaji/Otatsu were played by Bandô Mitsugorô I, Sawamura Kijûrô I and Yamashita Kinsaku II.

11th lunar month of 1770: Matakurô became tachiyaku and performed at the Nakamuraza in the kaomise drama "Nue no Mori Ichiyô no Mato", which celebrated the shûmei of Matsumoto Kôshirô II, Ichikawa Danjûrô V, Nakamura Shôchô, Ichikawa Monnosuke II, Nakamura Shichisaburô III and Bandô Sanpachi II.

1st lunar month of 1771: Matakurô's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô-(shiro)hankichi (superior - superior - (white) half excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1771: Matakurô performed at the Nakamuraza in the kaomise drama "Kuni no Hana Ono no Itsumoji".

11th lunar month of 1772: Matakurô played at the Moritaza the role of Usami Jûnai in the kaomise drama "Izu Goyomi Shibai no Ganjitsu", which celebrated the shûmei of Sawamura Chôjûrô IV, Sawamura Kijûrô II and Mikuni Fujigorô.

11th lunar month of 1773: Matakurô performed at the Moritaza in the kaomise drama "Onna Aruji Hatsuyuki no Sekai".

11th lunar month of 1774: Matakurô played at the Moritaza the role of Kamei Rokurô in the kaomise drama "Ichi no Tomi Tsuki no Kaomise", which welcomed in Edo the Kamigata actor Nakamura Shingorô II.

11th lunar month of 1775: Matakurô performed at the Moritaza in the kaomise drama "Kikujidô Shuen no Iwaya".

Fall 1776: Matakurô went back to Kyôto after 7 seasons spent in Edo.

11th lunar month of 1776: Matakurô performed in the kaomise drama "Saiwai Gura Manpô no Irifune", which was produced by Ogurayama Toyosaki at Hoteiya Umenojô's theater.

1st lunar month of 1777: Matakurô's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô-(shiro)hankichi (superior - superior - (white) half excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1777: Matakurô played in Kyôto at the Minamigawa no Shibai the roles of Arakawa Kaneyuki and Kuroda Saemon in the kaomise drama "Yunzei Nanshi no Sakigake", which was produced by Mimasu Jirokichi.

1st lunar month of 1778: premiere of Namiki Gohê's drama "Keisei Hakata Ori", which was produced at the Minamigawa no Shibai by Mimasu Jirokichi; Matakurô played the role of Kokura Zen'emon [casting | picture and details].

1st lunar month of 1779: Matakurô performed in Kyôto at the Kitano Shita-no-Mori Shibai.

11th lunar month of 1781: Matakurô most likely performed as a jitsuaku in the kaomise drama "Shin Yakata Fukki no Ishizue", which was staged at the Kitagawa no Shibai and celebrated the shûmei of both Yamamoto Giemon and Hanagiri Tomimatsu I. No record afterwards.

Comments:

Kasaya Matakurô II was a Kyôto katakiyaku and tachiyaku actor, who was active not only in his native city but also in Ôsaka (3 seasons) and Edo (7 seasons). He stayed at the same intermediate rank (jô-jô-(shiro)hankichi) in the 3 cities for more than 12 years (an unusual stagnation for a Kabuki actor).

[1] The 18th day of the 3rd lunar month of the 4th year of the Meiwa era was the 16th of April 1767 in the western calendar.

Kasaya Matakurô II performing a boatman role in a print made by Katsukawa Shunshô in 1770

Prints & Illustrations

The Kasaya Matakurô line of actors