OSAGAWA TSUNEYO II (original) (raw)
Stage names:
Line number: NIDAIME (II)
Existence: 1753 ~ 16th day of the 8th lunar month of 1808 [1]
Connections:
Master: Osagawa Tsuneyo I
Disciple [2]: Osagawa Tsuneyo III
Career:
1753: born in Edo.
1763: he became disciple of the actor Osagawa Tsuneyo I and received the name of Osagawa Shichiz� I.
12th day of the 5th lunar month of 1766 [3]: his master Osagawa Tsuneyo I died.
11th lunar month of 1768: Osagawa Shichiz� I took the name of Osagawa Tsuneyo II at the Nakamuraza, performing in the kaomise drama "Ima o Sakari Suehiro Genji" which celebrated the arrival in Edo of Nakamura Utaemon I.
8th lunar month of 1771: Tsuneyo played at the Ichimuraza the role of Otoku in the drama "Keisei Nagoya Obi".
11th lunar month of 1772: Tsuneyo played at the Nakamuraza the roles of Hanazono and Ok� in the kaomise drama "�yoroi Ebid� Shinozuka".
11th lunar month of 1776: Tsuneyo played at the Ichimuraza the role of Princess Konohana in the kaomise drama "Sugata no Hana Yuki no Kuronushi".
5th lunar month of 1777: Tsuneyo played at the Ichimuraza the difficult role of Sodehagi in the drama "�sh� Adachi-ga-Hara"; his stage partners in the roles of Sadat�, Yoshiie, Munet�, Hamay� and Kenj� were Ichikawa Danj�r� V, Ichikawa Yaoz� II, Sakata Hangor� II, Yoshizawa Sakinosuke III and �tani Hiroemon III.
1st lunar month of 1778: the drama "Imoseyama Onna Teikin" was staged for the first time in Edo, at the Moritaza; Tsuneyo played the roles of Okishi and Medo-no-Kata [casting].
11th lunar month of 1779: Tsuneyo played at the Moritaza the roles of Jor�hana and Omachi in the kaomise drama "Uta Kurabe T�sei Moy�".
4th lunar month of 1780: first Kabuki adaptation of Utei Enba, Kij� Tar� and Y� Y�dai puppet theater drama "Go Taiheiki Shiraishi Banashi". The play was staged in Edo at the Moritaza; Tsuneyo played the roles of Yomosaku's wife Osayo, the keisei Miyagino and J�etsu's sister [casting].
4th lunar month of 1783: first Kabuki adaptation of Y� Y�dai's puppet theater drama "Kagamiyama Koky� no Nishikie". The play was staged in Edo at the Moritaza; Tsuneyo played the role of Ohatsu [casting].
11th lunar month of 1788: Tsuneyo played at the Nakamuraza the role of the ghost of Yokobue in Sakurada Jisuke I's kaomise drama "T�zum� Hana no Edokata", which celebrated the return in Edo of the actor Nakamura Nakaz� I.
11th lunar month of 1790: Tsuneyo played at the Kawarasakiza in the kaomise drama "Daidanna Kanjinch�".
10th lunar month of 1794: due to some financial difficulties, the salaries of all the actors were drastically reduced. Tsuneyo's yearly salary for the coming season was set to 500 ry� instead of 650.
11th lunar month of 1796: Tsuneyo played at the Kawarasakiza 4 roles in the kaomise drama "Itsukushima Yuki no Sugata Mise".
2nd lunar month of 1800: Namiki Gohei's drama "Gosan no Kiri" was staged for the first time in Edo, at the Ichimuraza in a somewhat different version entitled "Sanmon Gosan no Kiri" instead of "Kinmon Gosan no Kiri"; Tsuneyo played the roles of Sonoo-no-Kata and Goemon's wife Oritsu [casting].
11th lunar month of 1800: Tsuneyo played at the Nakamuraza 2 roles in the kaomise drama "Genji Gumo Kogane no Kumadori".
10th lunar month of 1801: Tsuneyo played at the Nakamuraza the role of Otoku in the drama "Keisei Hangonk�"; the role of Otoku's husband Matahei was played by Ichikawa Danz� IV.
11th lunar month of 1803: Tsuneyo played at the Ichimuraza 2 roles in the drama "Mutsu no Hana Monomi no Matsu".
9th lunar month of 1804: Namiki Gohei I's drama "Kanjin Kanmon Tekuda no Hajimari" was staged for the first time in Edo, produced by Ichimura Uzaemon XI at the Ichimuraza; Tsuneyo played the role of Tsuzuki Denshichi's sister Ok� [more details].
11th lunar month of 1804: premiere at the Kawarasakiza of Katsu Hy�z� I's kaomise drama "Shitenn� Momiji no Edoguma"; Tsuneyo played the roles of Hirai Yasumasa's wife Izumi Shikibu and S�ma Tar� Yoshikado's younger sister Princess Nanaaya [casting].
11th lunar month of 1806: Tsuneyo played at the Ichimuraza 3 roles in the kaomise drama "Wakazakari Heike Monogatari", which welcomed in Edo the actors Band� Hikosabur� III and Ichikawa Dannosuke III. The performance was interrupted the 13th day of the 11th lunar month by a sudden fire, which burned the theater to ashes and killed many members of the audience.
10th lunar month of 1807: Tsuneyo played at the Ichimuraza the role of Otoku in the drama "Keisei Hangonk�"; the role of Otoku's husband Matahei was played by Band� Hikosabur� III.
1st lunar month of 1808: Tsuneyo appeared on stage for the last time, at the Kawarasakiza, performing in the drama "Hirakana Seisuiki".
16th day of the 8th lunar month of 1808 [1]: Tsuneyo died in Edo.
Comments:
Osagawa Tsuneyo II was a talented onnagata actor and an outstanding dancer, who achieved fame for himself during the last quarter of the eighteenth century, up to the first years of the Bunka era. His final and best level in the Edo hy�banki was k�-j�-j�-kichi (meritorious - superior - superior - excellent) [Visual].
[1] The 16th day of the 8th lunar month of the 5th year of the Bunka era was the 5th of October 1808 in the western calendar.
[2] Reported as a disciple in Nojima Jusabur�'s book "Kabuki Jinmei Jiten" but reported as the son of Osagawa Tsuneyo II in the latest edition (2012) of "Kabuki Haiy� Meiseki Benran".
[3] The 12th day of the 5th lunar month of the 3rd year of the Meiwa era was the 18th of June 1766 in the western calendar.