Stage names:

Nakamura Sukegorô I
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 ^[1]

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, gave him the name of Sengoku Kametarô.

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

11th lunar month of 1725: he became disciple of Nakamura Shichisaburô II and received the name of Nakamura Kametarô.

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

11th lunar month of 1736: he took the name of Nakamura Sukegorô I at the Kawarasakiza, performing in the kaomise drama "Junpû Taiheiki".

11th lunar month of 1737: he took the name of Sengoku Sukegorô at the Kawarasakiza, performing in the kaomise drama "Urûzuki Ninin Kagekiyo".

11th lunar month of 1739: he took back 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 ^[3]: his father Sengoku Hikosuke I died.

Janvier 1742: Sukegorô played 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, was jô-jô-(shiro)kichi (superior - superior - (white) excellent) [visual].

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

11th lunar month of 1749: Sukegorô achieved 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 celebrated the arrival in Edo of the actor Nakamura Kiyosaburô I.

1st lunar month of 1752: Sukegorô played at the Nakamuraza the role of Kyô no Jirô in the new year sogamono "Kuruwa Kuruwa Akinai Soga". Sukegorô also played 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 played 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) was played by Matsumoto Kôshirô II.

7th lunar month of 1754: Sukegorô played 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 were Nakamura Tomijûrô I, Ôtani Hiroji II and Ichikawa Ebizô II.

11th lunar month of 1754: Sukegorô played at the Nakamuraza the role of the ashigaru Kanbei (in reality Oniô Shinzaemon) in the kaomise drama "Miura no Ôsuke Bumon no Kotobuki", which celebrated the shûmei of Ichikawa Danjûrô IV, Matsumoto Kôshirô III and Tsuuchi Monzaburô II.

1st lunar month of 1755: Sukegorô played 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 played at the Moritaza in the kaomise drama "Tôzai Tôzai Wagakuni no Umeyashiki"; he was 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 was staged at the Moritaza; Sukegorô played the roles of Abe no Munetô and Iwate [casting|illustrations]. He also performed in the dance "Ishidatami Wakaba Zakura", which commemorated the memory of late Sanogawa Ichimatsu I, who suddenly died the 12th of the 11th lunar month of 1762 ^[4]. Sukegorô was in tears from the beginning to the end of his performance, expressing from the depths of his heart a tearful remorse ^[2]. This was also the last stage appearance of Sukegorô, who fell ill.

13th day of the 7th lunar month of 1763 ^[1] Sukegorô died in Edo.

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].

[1] The 13th day of the 7th lunar month of the 13th year of the Hôreki era was the 21st of August 1763 in the western calendar.

[2] 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.

[3] The 26th day of the 4th lunar month of the 5th year of the Genbun era was the 21st of May 1740 in the western calendar.

[4] The 12th day of the 11th lunar month of the 12th year of the Hôreki era was the 26th of December 1762 in the western calendar.

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

Prints & Illustrations

The Nakamura Sukegorô line of actors