Stage names:

Nakamura Shôchô
Nakamura Shichisaburô II
Nakamura Seikichi

Guild: Nakamuraya

Poetry name: Shôchô

Existence: 1703 ~ 2nd day of the 9th lunar month of 1774

Connection:

Great-grandfather: Nakamura Kanzaburô I

Grandfather: Nakamura Kanzaburô II

Father: Nakamura Seizaburô I

Adoptive father: Nakamura Shichisaburô I

Son-in-law: Nakamura Shichiji

Grandsons: Nakamura Shichisaburô III (Nakamura Kanzaburô IX), Nakamura Shichisaburô IV

Disciples: Nakamura Sukegorô I, Narumi Goroshirô II

Career:

3rd day of the 2nd lunar month of 1708: his adoptive father Nakamura Shichisaburô I dies.

11th lunar month of 1710: Nakamura Seikichi takes the name of Nakamura Shichisaburô II at the Nakamuraza.

1st lunar month of 1711: Shichisaburô makes his first stage performance, as a koyaku actor, playing in the new year drama "Senrei Suehiro Soga", which is staged at the Nakamuraza.

Spring 1719: Shichisaburô becomes tachiyaku.

11th lunar month of 1719: Shichisaburô plays at the Nakamuraza the role of Nitta Tokujumaru in the kaomise drama "Nyohitsu Taiheiki", which commemorates the 6th anniversary (7th memorial service) of the passing away of Nakamura Denkurô I and celebrates the shûmei of Tamazawa Kôjûrô.

2nd lunar month of 1724: Shichisaburô plays at the Nakamuraza the role of Tomoenojô in the drama "Keisei Asama-ga-Dake", which commemorates the 16th anniversary (17th memorial service) of late Nakamura Shichisaburô I.

1st lunar month of 1731: Shichisaburô plays at the Nakamuraza the role of Umezu Kamon in the new year drama "Keisei Fukubiki Nagoya" [casting].

11th lunar month of 1735: Shichisaburô plays at the Nakamuraza the role of Hirai no Yasumasa in the kaomise drama "Tono Zukuri Shinoda-zuma".

5th lunar month of 1747: the play "Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami" is produced at the Nakamuraza for the first time; Shichisaburô plays the role of Kan Shôjô [casting].

1st lunar month of 1748: Shichisaburô plays at the Nakamuraza the role of Soga Jûrô Sukenari in the new year drama "Kazari Ebi Yoroi Soga"; the role of Soga Gorô Tokimune is played by Onoe Kikugorô I.

5th lunar month of 1748: the drama "Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura" is performed for the first time in Edo, at the Nakamuraza; Shichisaburô plays the role of Yasuke [casting].

6th lunar month of 1749: the play "Kanadehon Chûshingura" is produced at the Nakamuraza for the first time; Shichisaburô plays the role of Hayano Kanpei [casting].

7th lunar month of 1751: first Kabuki adaptation of the puppet theater drama "Koi Nyôbô Somewake Tazuna", which is staged in Edo at the Nakamuraza; Shichisaburô plays the role of Date no Yosaku [casting].

11th lunar month of 1754: Shichisaburô plays at the Nakamuraza the roles of Minamoto Yoritomo and Honda Jirô (in reality Soga Tarô) in the kaomise drama "Miura no Ôsuke Bumon no Kotobuki", which celebrates the shûmei of Ichikawa Danjûrô IV, Matsumoto Kôshirô III and Tsuuchi Monzaburô II.

1st lunar month of 1755: Shichisaburô plays in the same theater the roles of Soga Jûrô Sukenari and the Soga brothers' mother in the new year sogamono drama "Waka Midori Nishiki Soga".

7th lunar month of 1767: Shichisaburô plays at the Nakamuraza the role of the fox Genkurô in the drama "Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura".

4th lunar month of 1768: Shichisaburô plays in the same theater the role of Ôboshi Yuranosuke in the drama "Kanadehon Chûshingura"; his stage partners are Ichikawa Danjûrô IV (Teraoka Heiemon) and Segawa Kikunojô II (Okaru).

11th lunar month of 1770: great shûmei at the Nakamuraza; Matsumoto Kôshirô III, Ichikawa Danjûrô IV, Nakamura Shichisaburô II, Ichikawa Benzô I and Nakamura Shichinosuke I respectively take the names of Ichikawa Danjûrô V, Matsumoto Kôshirô II, Nakamura Shôchô, Ichikawa Monnosuke II and Nakamura Shichisaburô III during the kaomise drama "Nue no Mori Ichiyô no Mato", which also celebrates the arrival of Ichikawa Danzô III and Yamashita Kinsaku II at the Nakamuraza.

2nd lunar month of 1773: the Nakamuraza celebrates its 150th anniversary; Shôchô performs with Nakamura Kanzaburô VII and Nakamura Denkurô II in the auspicious dances "Kadomatsu" and "Shinbochi Daiko".

11th lunar month of 1773: premiere at the Nakamuraza of the play "Gohiiki Kanjinchô", performed as a kaomise drama. Shôchô plays the role of Kawagoe Shigeyori [casting]. This 46-days long performance, which is also the shûmei of Nakamura Rikô I, is a tremendous success.

7th lunar month of 1774: Shôchô appears on stage for the last time, at the Nakamuraza, playing the roles of Kan Shôjô and En'ya Hangan in the dramas "Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami" and "Kanadehon Chûshingura".

2nd day of the 9th lunar month of 1774: Shôchô dies in Edo.

Comments:

Nakamura Shôchô was an outstanding tachiyaku actor, who spent all his career in Edo. He was the worthy heir of his legendary grandfather Nakamura Shichisaburô I. His fields of excellence were wagoto, yatsushigoto and budôgoto. His most notable roles were Soga Jûrô Sukenari, which he performed in 26 new year sogamono, and Kan Shôjô ("Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami"), which he performed four times.

Nakamura Shôchô playing the role of Sasaki Moritsuna in Nakamura Jûsuke II's new year drama "Haru ha Soga Akebono Zôshi", which was staged in the 1st lunar month of 1772 at the Nakamuraza

Prints & Illustrations

Print made by Torii Kiyohiro in 1753

The Nakamura Shichisaburô line of actors