Stage names:

Sengoku Sukegorô
Nakamura Sukegorô I
Bandô Sukegorô
Nakamura Kametarô
Sengoku Kametarô

Guild: Sengokuya

Line number: SHODAI (I)

Poetry name: Gyoraku

Existence: 1711 ~ 13th day of the 7th lunar month of 1763

Connection:

Father: Sengoku Hikosuke I

Master: Nakamura Shichisaburô II

Son: Nakamura Sukegorô II

Career:

1711: born in Edo. His father, the dôkegata actor Sengoku Hikosuke I, gives him the name of Sengoku Kametarô. He later on takes the name of Nakamura Kametarô.

11th lunar month of 1724: he becomes wakashugata iroko at the Moritaza.

11th lunar month of 1735: he becomes tachiyaku and takes the name of Bandô Sukegorô at the Kawarasakiza, performing in the kaomise drama "Banzei Ikioi Izu Nikki".

1736: Bandô Sukegorô takes the name of Sengoku Sukegorô.

Fall 1739: Sukegorô becomes disciple of Nakamura Shichisaburô II.

11th lunar month of 1739: Sengoku Sukegorô takes the name of Nakamura Sukegorô I at the Nakamuraza, performing in the kaomise drama "Miyakozome Kaoru Hachinoki".

26th day of the 4th lunar month of 1740: his father Sengoku Hikosuke I dies.

Janvier 1742: Sukegorô plays at the Nakamuraza the role of Ômi no Gengo in the new year drama "Musume Soga Gaijin Yashima".

1st lunar month of 1746: Sukegorô's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, katakiyaku section, is jô-jô-(shiro)kichi (superior - superior - (white) excellent) [visual].

3rd lunar month of 1747: the play "Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami" is performed for the first time in Edo, at the Ichimuraza; Sukegorô plays the role of Matsuômaru [casting]. His stage partner in the role of Matsuômaru's wife Chiyo is Segawa Kikujirô I.

11th lunar month of 1749: Sukegorô achieves a great success at the Ichimuraza by playing the roles of Ômi no Kotôta and Matano Gorô in the kaomise drama "Yoritomo Gunbai Kagami", which celebrates the arrival in Edo of the actor Nakamura Kiyosaburô I.

1st lunar month of 1752: Sukegorô plays at the Nakamuraza the role of Kyô no Jirô in the new year sogamono "Kuruwa Kuruwa Akinai Soga". Sukegorô also plays the role of the Ôshû otokodate Teppeki Shôhei in the drama "Hana Sugata Sanpukutsui" (the nibanme of "Kuruwa Kuruwa Akinai Soga"), sharing the stage with Fujikawa Heikurô (the Naniwa otokodate Akaushi Yasubê) and Matsumoto Kôshirô II (the Azuma otokodate Banzuiin Chôbê) [print].

7th lunar month of 1752: Sukegorô plays in the same theater the role of the rebel Abe no Munetô in the drama "Moro Tazuna Ôshû Kuro"; the role of Abe no Sadatô (Munetô's brother) is played by Matsumoto Kôshirô II.

7th lunar month of 1754: Sukegorô plays at the Nakamuraza the role of Matsunaga Danjô in the drama "Kongen Okuni Kabuki". His stage partners in the roles of Ômi no Okane, Umetada Tokubê and Yamamoto Kansuke are Nakamura Tomijûrô I, Ôtani Hiroji II and Ichikawa Ebizô II.

11th lunar month of 1754: Sukegorô plays at the Nakamuraza the role of the ashigaru Kanbei (in reality Oniô Shinzaemon) 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: Sukegorô plays in the same theater the roles of Watônai and Ôtsu Jirô in the new year sogamono drama "Waka Midori Nishiki Soga".

11th lunar month of 1762: Sukegorô plays at the Moritaza in the kaomise drama "Tôzai Tôzai Wagakuni no Umeyashiki"; he is the zagashira of the new troupe at the Moritaza.

2nd lunar month of 1763: first Kabuki adaptation of the puppet theater drama "Ôshû Adachi-ga-Hara", which is staged at the Moritaza; Sukegorô plays the roles of Abe no Munetô and Iwate [casting|illustrations]. He also performs in the dance "Ishidatami Wakaba Zakura", which commemorates the memory of late Sanogawa Ichimatsu I, who suddenly died the 12th of the 11th lunar month of 1762. Sukegorô is in tears from the beginning to the end of his performance, expressing from the depths of his heart a tearful remorse^*. This is also the last stage appearance of Sukegorô, who falls ill and dies the 13th of the 7th lunar month of 1763

Comments:

Nakamura Sukegorô I was an outstanding tachiyaku and katakiyaku actor, who made a great career in Edo from the Genbun era to the Hôreki era. He excelled in jitsuaku and sumôtori roles. His performances in duo with Ôtani Hiroji II were very popular. His best level in the Edo hyôbanki was jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual].

(*) Sukegorô had a quarrel with the late actor a few weeks before his death. Things settled down and Sanogawa Ichimatsu I agreed to take part in the same kaomise as Sukegorô. He suddenly died before the beginning of this program.

Nakamura Sukegorô I performing in the drama "Na no Hana Sumidagawa", which was staged in the 3rd lunar month of 1759 at the Moritaza

Illustration

Print made by Torii Kiyomasu in 1752

The Nakamura Sukegorô line of actors