NAKAYAMA SHINKURÔ II

Stage names:

Nakayama Shinkurô II In Japanese
Nakayama Raisuke I In Japanese
Matsuya Raisuke II In Japanese
Nakayama Gennosuke In Japanese

Other name:

Nakayama Icchô II In Japanese

Guild: Matsuya

Line number: NIDAIME (II)

Poetry name: Icchô (2)

Existence: 1738 ~ 19th day of the 3rd lunar month of 1783 [1]

Connection:

Father: Matsuya Raisuke I (playwright)

Master: Nakayama Shinkurô I

Brothers: Nakayama Bunshichi I, Nakayama Monjûrô

Adopted son: Nakayama Bunshichi II

Career:

1738 ~ 1756: born in Ôsaka. His first stage name was Nakayama Gennosuke and his master was Nakayama Shinkurô I, the adoptive father of his brother Nakayama Bunshichi I. Later on, he took the name of Matsuya Raisuke II after the death of his father.

11th lunar month of 1756: Raisuke became tachiyaku and performed at the Ônishi no Shibai in Namiki Shôzô I's kaomise drama "Daimatsu Kyokusuke Tanzen Roppô", which was produced by Daimatsu Kyokusuke.

1st lunar month of 1757: premiere at the Ônishi no Shibai of Namiki Shôzô I's drama "Tenjiku Tokubê Kikigaki Ôrai"; Raisuke played the role of Miyoshi Nuinojô [casting].

11th lunar month of 1757: Matsuya Raisuke II took the name of Nakayama Raisuke I, playing at the Naka no Shibai the role of Yatarô in the kaomise drama "Sakiwake Musha Kôbai no Tazuna", which was produced by Anegawa Shinshirô II.

1st lunar month of 1758: first Kabuki adaptation of the 5-act maruhonmono drama "Hime Komatsu Ne-no-Hi no Asobi" in Ôsaka at the Naka no Shibai; Raisuke played the roles of Fujiwara no Naritsune and Narame no Hyô [casting].

12th lunar month of 1758: premiere at the Kado no Shibai of Namiki Shôzô I's ni-no-kawari drama "Sanjikkoku Yofune no Hajimari"; for the very first time in Kabuki history, a mawari-butai, invented by Namiki Shôzô I, was built and used on the stage of a theater [more details]; Raisuke played the role of the taiko mochi Koichi.

5th lunar month of 1762: premiere in Ôsaka at the Kado no Shibai of Namiki Shôzô I's drama "Koi Hakke Hashira Goyomi", which was a revision of Chikamatsu Monzaemon's drama "Daikyôji Mukashi Goyomi"; Raisuke played the role of Obiya Niemon [more details].

3rd lunar month of 1763: Raisuke's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô-(shiro)hankichi (superior - superior - (white) half excellent) [visual].

7th lunar month of 1763: Raisuke played at the Kado no Shibai the role of Umeômaru in the drama "Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami"; his stage partners were Nakayama Bunshichi I (Matsuômaru, Terukuni), Nakayama Shinkurô I (Kakuju, Shihei), Arashi Hinasuke I (Haru), Anegawa Daikichi I (Tonami, Yae), Asao Tamejûrô I (Hyôei, Shundô Genba), Bandô Toyosaburô I (Shiratayû), Fujikawa Hachizô I (Genzô, Sukune Tarô), Ichinokawa Hikoshirô II (Sakuramaru), Yoshizawa Sakinosuke II (Chiyo, Tatsuta) and Nakamura Kichiemon I (Kan Shôjô).

9th lunar month of 1764: première in Ôsaka at the Kado no Shibai of "Oriawase Tsuzure no Nishiki", based on the puppet drama "Katakiuchi Tsuzure no Nishiki", which was produced by Nakayama Bunshichi I and celebrated the 16th anniversary (17th memorial service) of the passing away of the star Anegawa Shinshirô I. A similar play was staged one day later under a different title, "Hare Kosode Tsuzure no Nishiki", at the Naka no Shibai [casting]. The competition for the best performance and the best line-up was open between the 2 theaters. The performance at the Kado no Shibai was more successful than the one at the Naka no Shibai; Raisuke played at the Kado no Shibai the roles of Shundô Suketarô and Sakanaya Ihachi [casting].

1st lunar month of 1766: Raisuke's rank in the Ôsaka hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, was jô-jô-(shiro)kichi (superior - superior - (white) excellent) [visual]. He shared this rank with Arashi Kichisaburô I.

12th lunar month of 1766: Raisuke played at the Kado no Shibai the role of Shigetada in the drama "Hirakana Seisuiki", which was produced by Arashi Hinasuke I; his stage partners were Fujikawa Hachizô I (Matsuemon, Higuchi no Jirô Kanemitsu), Arashi Hinasuke I (Umegae), Ichinokawa Hikoshirô II (Kajiwara Genta Kagesue), Nakayama Shinkurô I (Gonshirô), Arashi Koroku I (Enju), Yoshizawa Ayame III (Oyoshi, Tomoe Gozen) and Arashi Shichigorô II (Kajiwara Heiji Kagetaka).

7th lunar month of 1767: Raisuke played the role of Issun Tokubê in the drama "Natsu Matsuri Naniwa Kagami", which was staged at the Kado no Shibai to commemorate the 6th anniversary (7th memorial service) of the passing away of Fujikawa Heikurô [casting]; the roles of Danshichi Kurobê and Tsuribune Sabu were played by Fujikawa Hachizô I and Ichinokawa Hikoshirô II.

12th lunar month of 1767: Raisuke played the roles of Tomomori and Hôgen in the drama "Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura", which was staged for the first time at the Kado no Shibai [casting].

6th lunar month of 1770: Namiki Shôzô I's drama "Yadonashi Danshichi Shigure no Karakasa" was staged for the first time in Ôsaka ôshibai, at the Kado no Shibai; Raisuke played the role of Daimonjiya Jihê (commonly called Sakai no Daiji) [casting].

3rd ~ 5th lunar months of 1771: first Kabuki adaptation of the puppet theater drama "Imoseyama Onna Teikin", produced by Mimasu Tokujirô I at the Kitagawa no Shibai; Raisuke played the roles of Daihanji no Kiyosumi and Soga no Iruka [casting].

9th lunar month of 1773: Raisuke played in Kyôto the role of Shôgen in the drama "Keisei Hangonkô", which was produced by the zamoto Ogawa Kichitarô I for the nadai Ôsaka Tazaemon at the Kado no Shibai; his stage partners were Arashi Hinasuke I (Otoku) and Mimasu Daigorô I (Matahei).

3rd day of the 4th lunar month of 1775 [2]: his master Nakayama Shinkurô I died.

12th lunar month of 1776: premiere at the Naka no Shibai of Nagawa Kamesuke I's drama "Igagoe Norikake Gappa"; Raisuke played the roles of Honda Dainaiki, Sasaki Tan'emon, Arao Shuzen and Matsuno Kinsuke [casting].

4th lunar month of 1777: premiere in Ôsaka at the Naka no Shibai of Nagawa Kamesuke I's drama "Meiboku Sendai Hagi"; Raisuke played the roles of Masaoka and Date Jirô [casting].

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; Raisuke played the role of Mukai Rinzaemon [casting | picture and details].

12th lunar month of 1781: premiere in Ôsaka at the Kado no Shibai of Nagawa Kamesuke I's drama "Tengajaya-mura"; Raisuke played the role of Ningyôya Kôemon [casting]. A similar play was staged a few days later under a different title, "Renga Chaya Homare no Bundai", at the Naka no Shibai [casting]. The competition for the best performance and the best line-up was open between the 2 theaters.

9th lunar month of 1782: Nakayama Raisuke I took the name of Nakayama Shinkurô II at the Kado no Shibai, playing the roles of Banzaemon and Yomosaku in the dramas "Monogusa Tarô" and "Saiwai Ariwara Keizu", which were produced to celebrate the isse ichidai peformance of his brother Nakayama Bunshichi I.

11th lunar month of 1782: Shinkurô played at the Kado no Shibai the role of Wada Gorô (in reality Wada Shinzaemon) in the kaomise drama "Yamato Moji Sansai Zue", which was produced by Fujikawa Sango.

12th lunar month of 1782: premiere in Ôsaka at the Kado no Shibai of Namiki Gohê's drama "Keisei Kogane no Shachihoko"; Shinkurô played the roles of Kinsuke's mother Muraji and the tôzoku Kôsaka Jinnai [more details].

3rd lunar month of 1783: Shinkurô appeared on stage for the last time, in Ôsaka at the Kado no Shibai, where he played the roles of Kôsaka Jinnai and Fukushimaya Ibê in the dramas "Keisei Kogane no Shachihoko" and "Shinjû Natane no Kumotsu". He suddenly fell ill.

19th day of the 3rd lunar month of 1783 [1]: Shinkurô died.

Comments:

Nakayama Shinkurô II was an Ôsaka tachiyaku actor, who made a great career in Kamigata from the 1760s to the beginning of the 1780s. He excelled in budôgoto and jitsugoto. He unfortunately died too early, at the beginning of his forties, with his final ranking in the Ôsaka hyôbanki being only one little stroke below jô-jô-kichi [visual].

[1] The 19th day of the 3rd lunar month of the 3rd year of the Tenmei era was the 20th of April 1783 in the western calendar.

[2] The 3rd day of the 4th lunar month of the4th year of the An'ei era was the 2nd of May 1775 in the western calendar.

Nakayama Shinkurô II in an illustration from the book "Yakusha Mono Iwai" (1784)
Copyright © The Trustees of the British Museum

Prints & Illustrations

The Nakayama Icchô line of actors

The Nakayama Raisuke line of actors

The Nakayama Shinkurô line of actors

 
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