勧進帳勧進帳勧進帳勧進帳 Kanjinchō - The Subscription List : 1890

Date 1890

Performance run 明治 23年(1890) 05 月 22 日 to 06月 (May – June 1890)

Theatre劇場劇場劇場劇場 中村座 Nakamuraza or the 新富座 Shintomiza

Play外題 勧進帳 Kanjinchō by Namiki Gohei III – The Scroll Hiding Mie

Cast Left to right

Minamoto Yoshitsune Onoe Kikugorō V 五代目 尾上菊五郎

The priest Benkei Ichikawa Danjuro IX 九代目市川團十郎

Commander of the barrier Togashi Ichikawa Sadanji I 初代市川左団次

Artist 豊齋画 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

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

1st section – upper right hand 1st two lines down

明治廿(23) 年(1890)

Address

京 Kyō

橋 bashi

区 ku (district)

尾 O

張 Wari

町 chō

一 ichi (one)

丁目 chōme

05 月 (May) 06月出 end

(June) though no specific day dates

中 Naka (muraza)

届 Todoki (report)

聿 Fudezukuri (brush)

凭 Hyō or Hei

行者 gyōja (tribute)

佐 Sa

々 Sa

木 Ki

豊 Toyo

吉 Kichi

Publishers name Sasaki Toyokichi

印刷 insatsu (printing)

出物 demono (souvenir)

系 Kei (sequence)

チ Sen (thousand)

明治 23年 05月 22日

:勧進帳( かんじんちょう ）

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