Stage names:

Nakamura Tomosa II
Nakamura Momosa I
Nakamura Naojirô

Guild: Kyôya

Line number: NIDAIME (II)

Poetry name: Gankô

Existence: 1795 ~ 16th day of the 3rd lunar month of 1861 ^[1]

Connection:

Father: Nakamura Tomosa I

Disciples: Nakamura Tomosa III, Nakamura Momosa II

Career:

1795 ~ 1812: born in Ôsaka. He did his training with his father, who gave him as a first stage name Nakamura Naojirô.

1812: he took the name of Nakamura Momosa I and performed mainly in miyaji shibai or hama shibai, where he became very popular.

14th day of the 1st lunar month of 1819 ^[2]: his father Nakamura Tomosa I died.

1st lunar month of 1831: with the patronage of Arashi Rikan II, he made his début in ôshibai and took the name of Nakamura Tomosa II at the Kado no Shibai, where he performed in the new year ni-no-kawari drama "Keisei Sato no Odamaki".

3rd lunar month of 1838: Tomosa played at the Naka no Shibai the roles of Sagisaka Bannai, Yakushiji Jirozaemon and Orin in the drama "Kanadehon Chûshingura".

3rd lunar month of 1846: Tomosa played at the Naka no Shibai the roles of Sagisaka Bannai and Yakushiji Jirozaemon in the drama "Kanadehon Chûshingura".

1st lunar month of 1848: Tomosa's rank in the Kamigata hyôbanki, dôkegata section, was jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual].

9th lunar month of 1848: Tomosa played at the Naka no Shibai the role of Tanbaya Hachiemon in the drama "Koi Bikyaku Yamato Ôrai"; the role of Kameya Chûbê was played by Jitsukawa Enzaburô I.

9th lunar month of 1849: Tomosa played at the Chikugo no Shibai the roles of Sagisaka Bannai [illustration], Yakushiji Jirozaemon, the decchi Igo [illustration] and 2 others roles in the drama "Kanadehon Chûshingura".

5th lunar month of 1850: Tomosa played at the Naka no Shibai the role of Mikawaya Giheiji in the drama "Natsu Matsuri Naniwa Kagami"; the role of Danshichi Kurobê was played by Nakamura Utaemon IV.

9th lunar month of 1851: Tomosa played at the Naka no Shibai the roles of Mareyo, Yatôta and Shundô Genba in the drama "Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami".

1st lunar month of 1853: Tomosa's rank in the Kamigata hyôbanki, jitsuaku/katakiyaku/dôkegata section, was (shiro)itaru-jô-jô-kichi ((white) unique - superior - superior - excellent).

3rd lunar month of 1853: Tomosa played at the Naka no Shibai the roles of Sagisaka Bannai, Yakushiji Jirozaemon, Yoichibê [illustration] and Ôta Ryôchiku in the drama "Kanadehon Chûshingura".

8th lunar month of 1857: Tomosa played at the Naka no Shibai the role of the decchi Chôkichi in the drama "Katsuragawa Renri no Shigarami"; this role was one of Nakamura Tomosa I's atariyaku.

11th lunar month of 1858: Tomosa played at the Kitagawa no Shibai the role of Yazaemon in the "Sushiya" act of "Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura".

3rd lunar month of 1859: Tomosa played at the Naka no Shibai the roles of Mareyo and Haji no Hyôe in the drama "Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami".

8th lunar month of 1859: Tomosa played at the Naka no Shibai the roles of Kitôta and Tosu no Kizô in the drama "Gion Sairei Shinkôki". He also played the role of Zenroku in "Osome Hisamatsu".

3rd lunar month of 1860: Tomosa played at the Naka no Shibai the roles of Ono no Kudayû, Akagaki Genzô, Genroku and two others minor roles in the drama "Kanadehon Chûshingura".

11th lunar month of 1860: Tomosa appeared on stage for the last time, in Kyôto at the Minamigawa no Shibai, where he played the roles of Tontokobô, Yasozaemon, Ôba Saburô and Shichirosuke in "Yaemusubi Jiraiyazome", "Shigenoi Kowakare", "Ishikiri Kajiwara" and "Yaegasumi Naniwa no Hamaogi".

1st lunar month of 1861: Tomosa's rank in the Kamigata hyôbanki, jitsuaku section, was itaru-jô-jô-kichi (unique - superior - superior - excellent) [Visual].

16th day of the 3rd lunar month of 1861 ^[1]: Tomosa died.

Comments:

Nakamura Tomosa II was an extremely popular and talented 19th century dôkegata and handôgataki actor, who made all his career in Kamigata and was a mainstay of the Naka no Shibai in Ôsaka. He reached the rank itaru-jô-jô-kichi the year of his death, which was a very unusual rank for a dôkegata. He was famous for his ad-libs, which were often parodies of famous lines from others plays.

[1] The 16th day of the 3rd lunar month of the 1st year of the Bunkyû era was the 25th of April 1861 in the western calendar.

[2] The 14th day of the 1st lunar month of the 2nd year of the Bunsei era was the 8th of February 1819 in the western calendar.

The actor Nakamura Tomosa II playing the role of Mikawaya Giheiji in the drama "Natsu Matsuri Naniwa Kagami", which was staged in the 5th lunar month of 1850 at the Naka no Shibai (print made by Utagawa Hirosada)

Prints & Illustrations

The Nakamura Momosa line of actors

The Nakamura Tomosa line of actors