Stage names:

Seki San'emon
Seki Sanjûrô I
Arashi Sanjûrô IV
Arashi Sanjûrô II
Ogino Kichisaburô
Arashi Shichisaburô I

Guilds: Sekiya, Tachibanaya, Owariya

Poetry name: Sanchô

Existence: 1747 ~ 10th day of the 6th lunar month of 1808

Connections:

Masters: Arashi Hinasuke I, Arashi Koroku I

Adopted son: Seki Sanjûrô II

Disciple: Seki Shozô

Career:

1747~1771: born in Ôsaka. He starts his career as a disciple of Arashi Koroku I, who gives him the name of Arashi Shichisaburô I. He spends several years in a troupe of children-actors, performing in miyaji shibai. Later on, he settles in Ôsaka and takes the name of Ogino Kichisaburô at the Naka no Shibai.

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; Kichisaburô plays the roles of Yukinushi and the decchi Netarô [casting].

Fall 1771: he becomes disciple of the actor Arashi Hinasuke I.

11th lunar month of 1771: he becomes zamoto, takes the name of Arashi Sanjûrô II and produces in Kyôto at the Minamigawa no Shibai the kaomise drama "Bandai Isaoshi Genji", in which he plays the role of Tsukioka Shikibu. The writing for Sanjûro is:

Fall 1772: Sanjûrô produces in Kyôto the play "Yaegasumi Naniwa no Hamaogi".

11th lunar month of 1772: Arashi Sanjûrô II takes the name of Arashi Sanjûrô IV at the Kado no Shibai, playing in the drama "Hi-no-Moto Banzai no Hôrai"; the two names look the same but the ideogram for san is different (the ideogram for mountain is replaced by the ideogram for three):

12th lunar month of 1776: premiere at the Naka no Shibai of Nagawa Kamesuke I's drama "Igagoe Norikake Gappa"; Sanjûrô plays the roles of Uesugi Unai Akisada and Magohachi [casting].

4th lunar month of 1777: premiere in Ôsaka at the Naka no Shibai of Nagawa Kamesuke I's drama "Meiboku Sendai Hagi"; Sanjûrô plays the role of Shikata Geki [casting].

7th lunar month of 1780: Sanjûrô plays at the Kado no Shibai the role of Yoshitsune in the classic "Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura".

11th lunar month of 1786: Arashi Sanjûrô IV takes the name of Seki Sanjûrô I at the Ônishi no Shibai, playing 2 roles in the kaomise drama "Osanago no Katakiuchi".

2nd lunar month of 1787: Sanjûrô plays at the Ônishi no Shibai the role of Yoshitsune in the classic "Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura".

10th lunar month of 1787: Sanjûrô plays at the Kitagawa no Shibai the role of Yoshitsune in the classic "Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura".

3rd lunar month of 1788: premiere at the Kado no Shibai of Namiki Gohei I's play "Sewa Ryôri Yaoya Kondate"; Sanjûrô plays the roles of Heiemon and Hanjirô [more details].

3rd lunar month of 1790: Sanjûrô plays in Kyôto at the Nishigawa no Shibai the roles of Takeda Shingen and the old woman Koshiji in the drama "Honchô Nijûshikô", which is produced by Kameya Kumenojô.

Spring ~ Summer 1790: tour in Ise.

12th lunar month of 1790: Sanjûrô plays at the Naka no Shibai the roles of Hayagawa Takakage and Sôemon's wife in the drama "Kinmon Gosan no Kiri", which is produced by Asao Sennosuke.

9th lunar month of 1791: premiere of Nagawa Shimesuke I's chûshinguramono "Iroha Gana Shijûshichi Moji" in Ôsaka at the Kado no Shibai; Sanjûrô plays the roles of Kanda Yogoro, Sagoemon and Orita Tamon-no-Kami [more details].

8th lunar month of 1792: Sanjûrô plays at the Kado no Shibai the roles of Yoshitsune and Kajiwara Heizô Kagetoki in the classic "Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura".

9th lunar month of 1792: Seki Sanjûrô I takes the name of Seki San'emon in the same theater, playing in the drama "Chûkô Homare no Futamichi". Around that time, he settles in Ôsaka in the district of Kuroemon-chô.

1st lunar month ~ 3rd lunar month of 1794: premiere of Tatsuoka Mansaku's drama "Keisei Haru no Tori", which is famous for its "Umagiri" scene and is produced by the zamoto Asao Okujirô I in Ôsaka at the Kado no Shibai; San'emon plays the roles of Kobayagawa Tatewaki and Nagaoka Shingo [more details].

Summer 1794: tour in Ise.

1st lunar month of 1797: he takes back the name of Seki Sanjûrô I at the Kado no Shibai, playing 3 roles in the drama "Futatsu Chôchô Kuruwa Nikki".

5th lunar month of 1798: Sanjûrô plays at the Kado no Shibai the role of Tsuribune Sabu in the drama "Natsu Matsuri Naniwa Kagami", which is produced by Nakayama Yosaburô II. His stage partners are Kataoka Nizaemon VII (Danshichi Kurobê), Nakayama Bunzô (Issun Tokubê), Yamashita Kinsaku II (Okaji) and Yoshizawa Iroha I (Otatsu).

11th lunar month of 1800: first Kabuki adaptation of Chikamatsu Yanagi's puppet theater drama "Ehon Taikôki", which is produced by Nakayama Tokujirô at the Kado no Shibai; Sanjûrô plays the roles of Shima Sakon, Tôkichi and Uno Bungo [casting].

12th lunar month of 1804: Sanjûrô plays for the last time the role of Yoshitsune in the classic "Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura", which is produced by the zamoto Fujikawa Tatsuzô at the Kita-Horie Ichi-no-Gawa Shibai (Ôsaka).

11th lunar month of 1807: Seki Sanjûrô I and his adopted son Seki Utasuke I respectively take the names of Seki San'emon and Seki Sanjûrô II at the Naka no Shibai.

1808: Seki San'emon and Seki Sanjûrô II go together to Edo. San'emon suddenly falls ill and dies the 10th of the 6th lunar month of 1808.

Comments:

Seki San'emon, the founder of the Seki clan, was a tachiyaku actor, who spent all his career in Kamigata and was a specialist in jitsuaku, wajitsu and budôgoto roles. One of his best roles was Minamoto Yoshitsune in the drama "Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura".

Seki San'emon (top/right) playing the role of Masayasu in the drama "Gion Sairei Shinkôki", which was staged in the 11th lunar month of 1792 at the Kado no Shibai
(illustration taken from the 1793 hyôbanki)
The others actors are Mimasu Matsugorô (top/left), Asao Tamejûrô I (bottom/left) and Fujikawa Tomokichi I (bottom/right) playing the roles of Yoshikage, Sezai and Otsuyu

Prints & Illustrations

The Arashi Shichisaburô line of actors

The Arashi Sanjûrô line of actors

The Arashi Sanjûrô line of actors

The Seki Sanjûrô line of actors