Tojuro SAKATA (the first) (坂田藤十郎 (初代))
Tojuro SAKATA (1647-December 1, 1709) was a kabuki (traditional drama performed by male actors) actor in the Edo period.
His hai-go (the pen name for a hiku poet) were 'Tojo' and 'Sharan.'
His family crest was a 'Maru ni sotmaru' (a circle in a circle). He was a kabuki luminary in the Genroku era and the founder of Kansai Kabuki (western-Japan-style kabuki).
He was referred to as 'the founder of many great kabuki actors' and 'an unrivaled maestro.'
Biography
Tojuro was the son of Ichizaemon (or Fujiemon) SAKATA, the manager of a theatre company in Kyoto. He appeared on stage for the first time at the Mandayu-za Theatre in Kyoto in November 1676. In 1678, he shot to stardom by playing the role of Izaemon in "Yugiri Nagori no Shogatsu" (New Year's Remembrance of Yugiri).
Izaemon became his most successful character (he played the role 18 times in his life), and people have said that 'Sakata's artistry is enhanced by Yugiri.'
He had enormous influence over future Kabuki plays such as the "Kuruwa Bunsho (Tales of a Red-light District, or Courtesans). He then became prominent in Kyoto and Osaka, where he cooperated with Monzaemon CHIKAMATSU and performed many of Chikamatsu's works such as; the "Keisei Hotoke-no-hara" (Courtesan and a family feud in Echizen Province), the "Keisei Mibu Dai-nenbutsu"(Courtesan and Lectures on Buddhism in Mibu), and the "Butsumo Mayasan Kaicho"(Courtesan and a family feud, a work dedicated to the establishment of a Buddhist statue in Mt. Maya). He established the 'Keisei-kai Kyogen' (Kabuki plays about courtesans) set in a red-right district and based on love (of courtesans). He succeeded by playing 'Yatsushigoto' (a scene with a scion falling), 'Nuregoto' (a love scene) and 'Kudokigoto' (a scene with a man making a pass at a woman). Reviews confirmed the great popularity of Tojuro: "He was the unrivalled maestro of Keisei-kai in Osaka, the city of great entertainment." "Once he appears on stage, the audience breaks into rapturous applause saying, 'Hey, here comes Mr. Kabuki!' His popularity will continue to grow to future generations."
In 1695, he became the manager of the Miyako Mandayu-za Theatre. In October 1708, he retired with his the last performance of "Yugiri" staged in the Kameya-za Theatre in Kyoto, and passed away the following year.
Acting Style
He was the founder of wagoto (a play of love affairs by a womanizer) and is often compared with Danjuro ICHIKAWA (the founder of aragoto featuring exaggerated posture, makeup and costume). According to the "Jijinshu," an essay on kabuki by Kichizaemon KANEKO, Tojuro pursued realism. Tojuro said, "If you want to be acclaimed, you have to forget the audience and play that role in a realistic way only for your satisfaction." However, he was not a perfect realist, and he also cared for the visual effects of his performances. In preparation for the scene where Izaemon, a protagonist of "Yugiri," took off his shoes on stage, Tojuro asked his backstage staff to arrange a smaller pair of shoes, saying, "If Izaemon had awkwardly big feet, the audience will be disappointed."
Tojuro was not good at period dramas and dance. He played ARIWARA no Yukihira in "Matsukaze Murasame Sokutai Kagami" (Yukihira's love affairs with two country girls), but received unfavorable reviews. He only received favorable reviews on the scene where Yukihira was pretending to be a hairdresser. Moreover, in revengeful ghost plays, he kept running away from ghosts joining his hands in prayer instead of dancing, and this performance was praised. Instead, he showed an aptitude for the art of conversation, and scenes with women were his forte.
When Tojuro played Bunzo UMENAGA in "Keisei Hotoke-no-hara," he was criticized by his audience for his long dialogue in the scene, where Bunzo deliberately chatted with his lover Aishu to sound out her mind. When he was told to shorten the dialogue, Tojuro asked to let him use the same dialogue for one more performance. In the following performance, he spoke slower than the previous day, and his performance received good reviews. "Yesterday, I thought I should make the audience laugh in that scene. That was wrong. In that scene, Bunzo deliberately takes time to open Aishu's heart, so what I should have done is to just follow his intentions. Today, I also used the long dialogue, but my intention was different from yesterday. That is why I did it very well today." Tojuro explained his success.
He always had a sincere attitude toward his performances.
A junior actor expressed his gratitude for Tojuro, saying, "The other day, I played like you and received good reviews." Instead of giving a compliment, Tojuro advised, "If you keep playing like me, you would never be better than me. Do your best."
Others
Tojuro SAKATA (the second) was the sworn younger brother of Tojuro SAKATA (the first).
Kan KIKUCHI wrote "Tojuro's Love Affair," a play about Tojuro SAKATA (the first).
A play eventually adopted as a movie starring Kazuo HASEGAWA in 1938 and 1955.