Sakata Tōjūrō I
| Sakata Tōjūrō I 初代坂田藤十郎 |
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|---|---|
| Born | 1647 Kyoto, Japan |
| Died | 1 November 1709 Kyoto, Japan |
| Other names | Sakata Izaemon, Yamashiroya |
| Occupation | zamoto (theatre manager) |
| Years active | 1676-1708 |
Sakata Tōjūrō I (初代坂田藤十郎 shodai Sakata Tōjūrō) (1647 – 1 November 1709) was an early kabuki actor of the Genroku period in Japan. He was a pioneer of the wagoto style, and of Kamigata kabuki more generally. His influence persists in the lineage of actors who have taken up his artistic mantle.
Tōjūrō was born in Kyoto in 1647; his father, Sakata Ichiemon, was a theatre owner. Sakata Tōjūrō was actor-manager (zagashira) of the Mandayū Theatre in Kyoto; and during this period, the house playwright Chikamatsu Monzaemon. Chikamatsu praised the actor's craft, including careful attention to the dramatic requirements of the script and encouraging other actors to study the actual details of a character's circumstances.
He played tachiyaku roles.
In February 1678, Tōjūrō organized and performed in a play called Yūgiri Nagori no Shōgatsu which centered upon Osaka's famous and popular courtesan Yūgiri, who had died the previous month. It was in this play that Tōjūrō first pioneered the wagoto style of restrained, emotional, and realistic or naturalistic acting. This play would set the precedent not only for on-stage acting styles in Kamigata kabuki, but also for plot elements and structure. Kuruwa Bunshō, a play heavily based on Yūgiri Nagori no Shōgatsu, and first performed in 1808, remains today one of the core pieces in the Kamigata repertoire.
After a number of years in Osaka, Tōjūrō returned to Kyoto, where he continued performing regularly. The year 1693 saw the premiere, at the Miyako Mandayū theatre, of Butsumo Mayasan Kaichō, the first of a number of plays written by the great bunraku playwright Chikamatsu Monzaemon specifically for Tōjūrō.
As zamoto, Tōjūrō not only performed regularly, but oversaw the production of plays along with the management and upkeep of the theatre. In addition to performing at his own Miyako Mandayū theatre, he performed at Kyoto theatres owned by Hayagumo Chōdayū, Kameya Kumenojō, and Hoteiya Umenojō, the last of which was managed by his son, Sakata Heishichirō.
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