Stage names:

Sawamura Sôjûrô VIII
Sawamura Tosshô IV
Ichikawa Shôen
Sawamura Tosshô IV
Sawamura Genpei V

Real name: Sawamura Hisatoshi (?)

Line number: HACHIDAIME (VIII)

Guild: Kinokuniya

Poetry name: Kôga

Blazon: the syllabic ideogram "i" in a circle [in Japanese: い]

Existence: 8 January 1908 ~ 25 December 1975

Connections:

Father: Sawamura Sôjûrô VII

Adoptive father: Ichikawa Sadanji II

Brothers: Suketakaya Takasuke V, Sawamura Tanosuke V

Sons: Sawamura Sôjûrô IX, Sawamura Tôjûrô II

Career:

January 1908: born in Tôkyô in the district of Asakusa.

November 1913: he appears on stage for the first time, receiving the name of Sawamura Genpei V.

April 1926: Sawamura Genpei V takes the name of Sawamura Tosshô IV.

November 1929: he is adopted by the star Ichikawa Sadanji II, who gives him the name of Ichikawa Shôen. Revival at the Kabukiza of the drama "Kan U", which belongs to the Kabuki Jûhachiban; Shôen plays the role of Kagekiyo's daughter Hitomaru [casting].

January 1933: Shôen plays at the Shinjuku Shinkabukiza the role of Sodehagi in the drama "Ôshû Adachi-ga-Hara".

September 1935: Shôen plays at the Kabukiza (Nagoya) the role of Okaru in the michiyuki "Ochiudo". His stage partners in the roles of Hayano Kanpei and Bannai are Ichikawa Komazô IX and Suketakaya Takasuke V.

October 1936: dispute with Ichikawa Sadanji II; Ichikawa Shôen leaves the Ichikawa clan and takes back his previous name of Sawamura Tosshô IV.

May 1938: Tosshô plays at the Kabukiza the role of Chiyo in the "Terakoya" scene of the classic "Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami". His stage partners are Onoe Kikugorô VI (Genzô), Nakamura Kichiemon I (Matsuômaru) and Onoe Kikujirô IV (Tonami).

June 1942: revival at the Kabukiza of the drama "Kan U", which belongs to the Kabuki Jûhachiban; Tosshô plays the role of Kagekiyo's daughter Hitomaru [casting].

May 1947: revival at the Tôkyô Gekijô of the drama "Jayanagi"; Tosshô plays the role of Honda's sister Umegae [more details].

September 1953: Sawamura Tosshô IV and his son Sawamura Genpei VI take respectively the names of Sawamura Sôjûrô VIII and Sawamura Tosshô V at the Kabukiza; the new Sôjûrô plays the roles of Sakuramaru and Yûshide in "Kamo Zutsumi"/"Kurumabiki" and "Imorizake".

January 1955: Sôjûrô plays for the first time the role of Mankô, the Soga Brothers' mother, in the play "Sukeroku Kuruwa no Momoyogusa", which is performed at the Kabukiza. The role of Sukeroku is played by Nakamura Kanzaburô XVII.

March 1955: Hasegawa Shin's drama "Ori" was staged with a full Kabuki casting for the first time, in Tôkyô at the Meijiza; Sôjûrô played the role of Yûchin/Shichibê's nyôbô Otane [more details].

March 1956: Sôjûrô plays at the Tôyoko Hall (Tôkyô) the role of Fujiya Izaemon in the drama "Kuruwa Bunshô". The role of the courtesan Yûgiri is played by his son Sawamura Tosshô V.

July 1956: revival at the Kabukiza of Tsuruya Nanboku IV's drama "Sumidagawa Hana no Goshozome", commonly called "Onna Seigen"; Sôjûrô plays the role of the watashimori Otsuna [more details].

June 1958: revival at the Tôyoko Hall of the drama "Kishi no Himematsu Kutsuwa Kagami"; Sôjûrô plays the role of Iihara Hyôe's wife Fujimaki [more details].

November 1959: revival at the Kabukiza of Tsuruya Nanboku IV's masterpiece "Sakura Hime Azuma Bunshô", which is supervised by Mishima Yukio; Sôjûrô plays the role of Katsushika no Ojû [casting].

February 1960: premiere at the Kabukiza of Uno Nobuo's drama "Shiranui Kengyô"; Sôjûrô plays the role of Iwai Tôjûrô [casting].

June 1962: revival at the Kabukiza under the supervision of Takechi Tetsuji of Namiki Gohei I's drama "Keisei Yamato Zôshi"; Sôjûrô plays the role of Komaki's mother Higaki [more details].

June 1963: Namiki Shôzô I's drama "Yadonashi Danshichi Shigure no Karakasa" is produced for the first time at the Kabukiza; Sôjûrô plays the role of Jisuke's wife Okaji [casting].

April 1966: Sôjûrô plays pour the last time the role of Mankô in the play "Sukeroku Kuruwa no Momoyogusa", which is staged at the Kabukiza. The role of Sukeroku is played by Nakamura Kanzaburô XVII.

January 1967: revival at the National Theatre of "Narukami Fudô Kitayama Zakura"; Sôjûrô plays the role of Ono Saemon Harumichi [casting].

March 1967: revival at the National Theatre of Tsuruya Nanboku IV's masterpiece "Sakura Hime Azuma Bunshô", which is supervised by Gunji Masakatsu; Sôjûrô plays the role of Katsushika no Ojû [casting].

September 1967: Sôjûrô plays at the Kabukiza the role of the servant Kichisuke, in reality Rai Tarô Kunitoshi, in the drama "Shin Usuyuki Monogatari".

October 1967: Sôjûrô plays at the Kabukiza the roles of Hayase and Koman in "Moritsuna Jin'ya" and "Sanemori Monogatari"; he also takes part in a special kôjô which commemorates the 22nd anniversary (23rd memorial service) of the passing away of Ichimura Uzaemon XV and celebrates the shûmei of Ichimura Yoshigorô II, Ichimura Kakitsu IX and Bandô Takesaburô V.

November 1967: Sôjûrô appears on stage for the last time, in Tôkyô at the Kabukiza, where he plays the role of Tenmaya Sôbê in the drama "Sonezaki Shinjû". He falls ill the 10th and is replaced by Kataoka Ichizô V.

25 December 1975: Sôjûrô dies.

Comments:

Sawamura Sôjûrô VIII was both onnagata and nimaime. He did not reach the levels of fame of his father Sawamura Sôjûrô VII but he had the reputation to be the best actor for onnagata supporting roles.

Sawamura Sôjûrô VIII's best roles: Fuji-no-Kata ("Kumagai Jin'ya"), Tonami ("Terakoya"), Hayase ("Ômi Genji Senjin Yakata"), Nureginu ("Honchô Nijûshikô"), Oishi ("Kanadehon Chûshingura") and Ohana ("Toribeyama Shinjû").

The Sawamura Genpei line of actors

The Sawamura Tosshô line of actors

The Sawamura Sôjûrô line of actors