CHIKAMATSU TOKUZÔ

Playwright names:

Chikamatsu Tokuzô In Japanese
Chikamatsu Tokusô In Japanese
Chikamatsu Tokuzô In Japanese

Other name: Ômasuya Tokuemon

Guild: Ômasuya

Poetry name: Garyô

Existence: 1751 ~ 23rd day of the 8th lunar month of 1810

Connection:

Master: Chikamatsu Hanji

Son: Kanazawa Issen

Disciples: Chikamatsu Monkyô, Chikamatsu Jisuke, Chikamatsu Kazô, Chikamatsu Manbê, Chikamatsu Tokubê, Chikamatsu Tokuji, Sawaarashi Tôrô

Career:

1751~1780s: born in Kamigata; fan of the ningyô jôruri puppet theater since his childhood, he becomes disciple of Chikamatsu Hanji and receives the name Chikamatsu Tokuzô at unknown times.

1784: he takes the name of Chikamatsu Tokusô.

11th lunar month of 1787: Tokusô becomes tatesakusha in Ôsaka at the Naka no Shibai, where he writes the kaomise drama "Masaru Medetaki Toshi no Kaomise", which is produced by Nakayama Fukuzô; the main actors are Onoe Shinshichi I, Asao Tamejûrô I, Yoshizawa Iroha I, Kagaya Kashichi I, Nakamura Jiroza II, Yamamura Tomoemon I, Hanagiri Tomimatsu I, Nakamura Tomosaburô, Nakamura Kyôjûrô II, Arashi Bungorô I, Nakamura Kumenosuke and Onoe Tamizô I.

7th lunar month of 1789: premiere at the Kado no Shibai of Namiki Gohei I and Tokusô drama "Kanjin Kanmon Tekuda no Hajimari" [more details].

1st lunar month of 1793: premiere at the Naka no Shibai of the ni-no-kawari drama "Keisei Yanagi Zakura", the first yanagisawa-sôdômono in Kabuki history, written by Tatsuoka Mansaku and Tokusô [more details].

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 [more details]. Tokusô and Nagawa Shimesuke I work with Tatsuoka Mansaku on this drama.

11th lunar month of 1794: Tokusô worked in Ôsaka at the Kado no Shibai, along with Tatsuoka Mansaku and Morita Monkyô, on the kaomise drama "Tatematsuru Chibako no Tamamono".

7th lunar month of 1795: premiere of Tokusô's play "Sarumawashi Kadode no Hitofushi" in Ôsaka at the Kado no Shibai.

11th lunar month of 1795: he takes the name of Chikamatsu Tokuzô and writes, along with Tatsuoka Mansaku and Namiki Shôzô II, the kaomise drama "Ichiban Yari Tôkai Suzuri", which is produced by Fujikawa Hachizô III (who celebrates his shûmei) at the Kado no Shibai; others main actors are Nakayama Bunshichi II, Sawamura Kunitarô I, Arashi Hinasuke II, Arashi Koroku III, Nakayama Bungorô I, Yoshizawa Iroha I, Mimasu Matsugorô I, Yamamura Giemon II, Yamamura Tomoemon I and Asao Sennosuke.

4th lunar month of 1796: premiere at the Kado no Shibai of the drama "Hade Kurabe Ishikawa-zome", written by Tokuzô, Tatsuoka Mansaku and Namiki Shôzô II [more details].

7th lunar month of 1796: premiere of Tokuzô's play "Ise Ondo Koi no Netaba" in Ôsaka at the Kado no Shibai [casting].

11th lunar month of 1797: Tokuzô writes the kaomise drama "Mote Hayasu Manryô no Tachibana", which is produced by Nakayama Yosaburô II at the Kado no Shibai.

11th lunar month of 1809: Tokuzô writes the kaomise drama "Keishoku Yuki-miru Yama", which is produced at the Kado no Shibai by Mimasu Kumesaburô and stars Nakayama Hyakka, Yoshizawa Ayame V, Arashi Kichisaburô II, Asao Kuzaemon I, Nakayama Shinkurô III, Nakamura Daikichi I, Kanô Minshi I and Asao Okuyama III.

1st lunar month of 1810: premiere at the Kado no Shibai of Tokuzô and Namiki Miyosuke ni-no-kawari drama "Keisei Sato no Funauta" [casting].

23rd day of the 8th lunar month of 1810: Tokuzô dies in Ôsaka.

Comments:

Chikamatsu Tokuzô was an important Kamigata playwright, who fathered more than 80 dramas. He excelled in writing sewamono and oiemono dramas. When Namiki Gohei I left Ôsaka to settle in Edo in Fall 1794, the two leading playwrights in Kamigata were Chikamatsu Tokuzô and Tatsuoka Mansaku. The former one excelled in writing sewamono while the latter one was the jidaimono expert. Around 1804~1806, Chikamatsu Tokuzô wrote a script, which was entitled "Asagao Nikki", the plot of which was suggested to him by a poem on the morning-glory and a folklore story.

"After working in the puppet theater, Tokuzô eventually became a playwright for the Kabuki theater, where he pioneered innovative ways of bringing contemporary news and events to the stage, as well as modernizing old plays and adapting yomihon ("books for reading," a fiction genre flourishing in Kamigata, featuring lengthy stories filled with romance and heroic figures, plus a dash of didacticism)"
(OsakaPrints.com)

The name of Chikamatsu Tokuzô in a 1796 Ôsaka hyôbanki (the name within the red box); all the names were the sakusha at the Kado no Shibai (the most important ones being Tatsuoka Mansaku and Namiki Shôzô II)

 
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