Stage names:

Sakata Tôjûrô III
Sakata Sadashirô
Tomizawa Sadashirô
Sanjô Han'ya

Guild: Hiiragiya

Line number: SANDAIME (III)

Poetry name: Sharen

Existence: 1701 ~ 24th day of the 8th lunar month of 1774

Connection:

Masters: Tomizawa Chiyonosuke, Sanjô Kantarô II

Father: Sakata Tôjûrô I's nephew Sakata Heishirô

Adoptive father: Sakata Tôjûrô II

Son: Sakata Kônosuke

Disciple: Sakata Sanzaburô

Career:

1701~1730: born in Kamigata. He starts his career as a wakashugata and a disciple of Sanjô Kantarô II, who gives him the name of Sanjô Han'ya. He stops acting for a while. He goes back on stage as disciple of Tomizawa Chiyonosuke and receives the name of Tomizawa Sadashirô. Later on, he is adopted by Sakata Tôjûrô II.

27th day of the 9th lunar month of 1724: his adoptive father Sakata Tôjûrô II dies.

Fall 1730: he goes to Edo.

11th lunar month of 1730: he becomes tachiyaku and takes the name of Sakata Sadashirô at the Nakamuraza, performing in the kaomise drama "Irifune Hiru-ga-Kojima", which welcomes in Edo the Kamigata actor Segawa Kikunojô I.

11th lunar month of 1737: the play "Dan no Ura Kabuto Gunki" is staged for the first time in Edo, at the Kawarasakiza, as a kaomise drama entitled "Urûzuki Ninin Kagekiyo"; Sadashirô plays the role of Iba-no-Jûzô Kazuyoshi [casting].

3rd lunar month of 1738: Sadashirô's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, is jô-jô-(shiro)kichi (superior - superior - (white) excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1739: Sakata Sadashirô takes the name of Sakata Tôjûrô III at the Kawarasakiza, playing the role of Tsumaga Magosaburô in the kaomise drama "Irifune Taiheiki"; his stage partners are Ogino Izaburô I, Sanjô Kantarô II, Ichikawa Sôzaburô I, Bandô Toyosaburô I and Yamamoto Kyôzô.

11th lunar month of 1744: Tôjûrô plays at the Moritaza in the kaomise drama "Higashiyama Bandai no Watamashi".

11th lunar month of 1746: Tôjûrô becomes jitsuaku and plays at the Moritaza the role of Toriumi Yasaburô in the kaomise drama "Ôtorii Gojûshigun".

1st lunar month of 1747: Tôjûrô's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, jitsuaku section, is jô-jô-(shiro)kichi (superior - superior - (white) excellent) [visual].

11th lunar month of 1750: Tôjûrô switches back to tachiyaku and plays at the Ichimuraza the role of Onchi Sakon in the kaomise drama "Gaijin Taiheiki", which celebrates the shûmei of Bandô Sanpachi I.

Fall 1752: Tôjûrô goes to Ôsaka after 21 seasons spent in Edo.

11th lunar month of 1752: Tôjûrô plays at the Kado no Shibai in the kaomise drama "Nagoya Ori Hinatsuru no Nishiki", which is produced by Mimasu Daigorô I.

Fall 1753: Tôjûrô goes to Kyôto.

11th lunar month of 1753: Tôjûrô plays at Hoteiya Umenojô's theater in the kaomise drama "Futaba no Nishiki Midori no Onikage"; his stage partners are Somematsu Shichisaburô I, Fujioka Daikichi, Imamura Shichisaburô II, Sawamura Kunitarô I, Arashi Tominosuke I, Onoe Montarô and Bandô Sukesaburô I.

1st lunar month of 1754: Tôjûrô's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, is jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual].

2nd lunar month of 1755: first Kabuki adaptation of the 5 acts puppet theater drama "Ono no Tôfû Aoyagi Suzuri", which is produced by Sawamura Kunitarô I and staged at the Minamigawa no Shibai as a kaomise drama; Tôjûrô plays the role of Deba Jirô Yoshizane [casting].

11th lunar month of 1756: Tôjûrô plays at the Minamigawa no Shibai the role of a uirô peddler ("Uirô Uri"), in reality Oniô, in the kaomise drama "Daimyô Bimandai Kuniiri Kamakura Kagami", which is produced by Sawamura Kunitarô I for the nadai Hayagumo Chôdayû.

Winter 1758: Tôjûrô goes to Edo; he has to rest a little and does not take part in the kaomise program at the Nakamuraza.

1st lunar month of 1759: Tôjûrô's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, tachiyaku section, is one stroke below jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent). Tôjûrô plays at the Nakamuraza the roles of Sukenobu and Yaoya Kyûbê in the new year drama in the new year drama "Hatsugai Wada no Sakamori".

Winter 1763: Tôjûrô is back in Kyôto after a long tour in the countryside; he plays in the 2nd lunar month at the Kitagawa no Shibai the role of Funaoka Shikibudayû in the kaomise drama "Otowayama Renbo no Taki", which is produced by Nakamura Senzô.

11th lunar month of 1764: Tôjûrô becomes jitsuaku for one season.

Fall 1767: Tôjûrô goes to Edo.

11th lunar month of 1767: Tôjûrô plays at the Ichimuraza the role of Sasaki Genzô in the kaomise drama "Nue Shigedô Sakiwake Yûsha".

11th lunar month of 1770: Tôjûrô plays at the Nakamuraza in the kaomise drama "Nue no Mori Ichiyô no Mato", which celebrates the shûmei of Matsumoto Kôshirô II, Ichikawa Danjûrô V, Nakamura Shôchô, Ichikawa Monnosuke II, Nakamura Shichisaburô III and Bandô Sanpachi II.

11th lunar month of 1771: Tôjûrô plays at the Ichimuraza the role of Sano no Gentôta in the kaomise drama "Kono Hana Yotsugi no Hachinoki".

1st lunar month of 1772: Tôjûrô plays in the same theater the role of Terukuni in the drama "Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami".

2nd lunar month of 1772: Tôjûrô plays in the same theater the role of Oniô in the drama "Furisode Kisaragi Soga"; this is most likely his last performance in Edo. He joins a travelling troupe and goes on tour in the countryside.

24th day of the 8th lunar month of 1774: Tôjûrô dies while on tour in Sendai.

Comments:

Sakata Tôjûrô III was a talented 18th century tachiyaku actor. Unlike Sakata Tôjûrô I or Sakata Tôjûrô II, his field of excellence was not wagoto but jitsugoto.

Sakata Tôjûrô III playing the role of Danjô Saemon in the kaomise drama "Genpei Tsûrikimaru", which was staged in the 11th lunar month of 1764 in Kyôto

The Sakata Tôjûrô line of actors