Sakurada Jisuke

Japanese: 桜田治助 - さくらだじすけ

A Kabuki composer. There are four generations of him.

First World

(1734-1806) is known as the founder of the Edo kyogen revival, and together with Kanai Sansho, he was one of the leading kyogen of the An'ei and Tenmei periods (1772-1889). He inherited Horikoshi Nisoji's style as a disciple, and in 1769 (Meiwa 6) he was selected as the leading kyogen for the Ichikawa Soroe troupe, which was led by Ichikawa Danjūrō IV. He wrote hit kyogen plays such as Gohiiki Kanjinchō, and was called the "Flower of Edo, Sakurada". After retiring, he returned to the theater world as a retired person, and wrote second-rate sewa kyogen and jōruri plays for his ally Matsumoto Koshiro IV, until his death on the fifth anniversary of Koshiro's death. His early works show a liberality that was a lingering influence from the Horeki period (1751-64), but at the height of his career, his style developed into one that was almost pathologically extreme in its depth and brightness, yet had a dark side, and was received with overwhelming sympathy by people in the Tenmei period (1781-89). In addition to over 30 extant scripts, such as "Kaidoichiyawaragisoga" and "Keiseiazumakagami," he was a master of shosagoto, leaving behind such works as the Tokiwazu work "Modorikago," the Tomimoto works "Michiyukisegawa no Adanami" and "Migawari Otoshi," and the Nagauta work "Yoshiwara Suzume." His disciples include many independent artists, including Fukumori Kyusuke.

[Hideo Furuido]

II

(1768-1829) A pupil of the founder. Inheriting his master's style, he was one of the pioneers of the Henge dance style of the Kasei period (1804-1830), and wrote such works as Tokiwazu's "Genta," Kiyomoto's "Kairai-shi" and "Tobae," and Nagauta's "Asazuma-bune" and "Shitadashi Sanban."

[Hideo Furuido]

III

(1802-1877) A disciple of the second. He dominated the theatrical world at the end of the Edo period as a stand-up playwright for both the Nakamura and Morita theaters. He wrote the Tokiwazu works "Sanze Sounishikibunsho" and "Kagura Utakumo Inokusemari." The fourth was succeeded by the second, Kimura Sonoji (date of birth and death unknown), a disciple of the third, but died in obscurity in the mid-Meiji period.

[Hideo Furuido]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

歌舞伎(かぶき)作者。4世まである。

初世

（1734―1806）江戸作者中興の祖と称され、金井三笑(さんしょう)とともに安永(あんえい)・天明(てんめい)期（1772～89）の作者を代表した。壕越二三次(ほりこしにそうじ)門下としてその作風を継承し、1769年（明和6）には4世市川団十郎を中心とする市川揃(ぞろ)えの大一座の立(たて)作者に抜擢(ばってき)され、以後『御摂勧進帳(ごひいきかんじんちょう)』など当り狂言を書き「江戸の花の桜田」と称された。いったん引退したのち隠居格として劇界に復帰、盟友4世松本幸四郎のために二番目の世話狂言と浄瑠璃(じょうるり)に得意の筆を振るい、その幸四郎の5回忌祥月命日(しょうつきめいにち)に死ぬ。初期の作には宝暦(ほうれき)期（1751～64）の余風としての寛闊(かんかつ)さがみられるが、最盛期には病的なほど極端な穿(うが)ちと明るさのなかにも翳(かげ)りのある作風となり、天明期（1781～89）の人々に圧倒的な共感をもって迎えられた。『国色和曽我(かいどういちやわらぎそが)』『傾城吾嬬鑑(けいせいあづまかがみ)』など現存台本30余種のほか、所作事(しょさごと)の名人として常磐津(ときわず)『戻駕(もどりかご)』、富本(とみもと)『道行瀬川(みちゆきせがわ)の仇浪(あだなみ)』『身替りお俊』、長唄(ながうた)『吉原雀(よしわらすずめ)』などを残す。門下に福森久助ら多くの立作者がいる。

［古井戸秀夫］