Namiki Gohei (並木五瓶)
Gohei NAMIKI was a professional name of a playwright of Kabuki play. The name was passed down through the fourth generation.
Gohei NAMIKI the first
(He was born in 1747 and passed away on February 27, 1808.)
He was a son of Izumiya, which ran its business in Doshomachi, Osaka. He trained himself in Hamashibai (a small theater in Dotonbori in the Edo Period) under Shozo NAMIKI, with his pen name, Gohachi. He changed his name to Gohei (五兵衛) NAMIKI in 1777. In 1793, he started to use different Kanji characters '五瓶', which had the same pronunciation of the original ones, for his name. In 1794, the next year, he went to Edo (then capital of Japan) by recommendation of Sojuro SAWAMURA (the third) and became an eminent playwright of Kabuki play.
He left masterpieces of Jidaimono (Historical drama) and Sewamono (play dealing with the lives of ordinary people).
His major works are 'Godairiki Koi no Fujime,' 'Tomigaoka Koi no Yamabiraki,' and 'Sumida no Haru Geisha Katagi.'
Gohei NAMIKI the second
(He was born in 1768 and passed away on August 27, 1819.)
Gohei NAMIKI the second was a disciple of the first, and his original name was Kinji SHINODA the first. Although he succeeded to Gohei NAMIKI the second in 1818, he passed away in 1819, the next year.
Gohei NAMIKI the third
(He was born in 1789 and passed away on November 23, 1855.)
In 1833, Kinji SHINODA the second, a disciple of Gohei NAMIKI the second, succeeded to Gohei NAMIKI the third.
He is famous for his masterpiece 'Kanjincho.'
Gohei NAMIKI the fourth
(He was born in 1829 and passed away on August 1, 1901.)
Kinji SHINODA the third, a son of Gohei NAMIKI the third succeeded to Gohei NAMIKI the fourth, after calling himself Goryu NAMIKI.