Kanjinch - The Subscription List : 1890

Date Performance run Theatre Play Cast

1890 23 (1890) 05 22 to 06 (May June 1890)

Nakamuraza or the Shintomiza

Kanjinch by Namiki Gohei III The Scroll Hiding Mie

Left to right Minamoto Yoshitsune The priest Benkei Commander of the barrier Togashi Artist

Onoe Kikugor V Ichikawa Danjuro IX Ichikawa Sadanji I Hosai Baido aka Utagawa Kunisada III and Toyokuni V. Signature and seal

Publisher

Sasaki Toyokichi

Kanjincho

Artist: Toyohara Kunichika. Publisher: Fukuda Kumajiro Published in 1890. Based on the same performance given in May 1890

1st section upper right hand 1st two lines down (23) (1890)

Naka (muraza) Todoki (report) Fudezukuri (brush) Hy or Hei gyja (tribute) Sa Sa Ki Toyo Kichi Publishers name Sasaki Toyokichi insatsu (printing) demono (souvenir) Kei (sequence) Sen (thousand)

05 (May) 06 end (June) though no specific day dates

Address Ky bashi ku (district) O Wari ch ichi (one) chme

Though the cartouche seems to indicate that the Nakamuraza was the theatre the Ritsumeikan University Kabuki Chronicles database gives the Shintomiza as the theatre where this took place. According to the Waseda University actors prints database Ichikawa Danjuro was at the Shintomiza for most of the year. As it turns out performances were prepared at the Shintomiza and then taken to the theatre where the performance run was to take place (please see item below regarding the collaboration of the four main theatres in reaction to the announcement of the building of the Kabukiza) --Theatrical Performances and Theaters in the Meiji Period (2): Kabukiza-From the Shintomicho Period to the Kobikicho Period

Perhaps this was as a result, according to a Daily Yomiuri article dated September 19, of the four existing theatres; Shintomiza, Ichimuraza, Nakamuraza, and Chitoseza reaching an agreement to cooperate in giving performances. As the first step, the September performance prepared at Shintomiza would be given at Chitoseza, and the three famous actors-(Ichikawa Danjuro IX, Onoe Kikugoro V, and Ichikawa Sadanji I) would play five, five, and seven roles respectively. Furthermore, the four theatres concluded exclusive agreements with each major actor working in Tokyo, including the aforementioned three, restricting their performances to the four theatres for the five years from January 1889. This was quite probably as a consequence of an article was published in the same newspaper on September 18 when it was revealed that a new theater would be named "Kabuza." However, the theater was eventually called "Kabukiza" for some reason, but perhaps not because "the theater should not be named Kabuza to avoid employing ham actors." (In Japanese, kabu or daikon means radish and ham actors are referred to as daikon yakusha.) (Ref. Lamp no Shitanite by Okamoto Kido.) http://www.ndl.go.jp/scenery/e/column/theatrical_2.html

 23 05 22 :(

Ritsumeikan University, Art Research Centre, Chronicles Database: zoku2-20557.jpg http://www.dh-jac.net/db1/nendaiki/search.htm