Shojiro Sawada

Actor. Born in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture, on May 27, 1892. Moved to Tokyo at the age of three after his father's death. Graduated from Waseda University, Department of English Literature. While at school, he joined Tsubouchi Shoyo's Literary Arts Association, and after it disbanded, he joined Shimamura Hogetsu's Geijutsuza, but left in 1914 (Taisho 3) after clashing with Matsui Sumako. After working for the Shin Jidai Drama Association and the Modern Drama Association, he returned to Geijutsuza, but was dissatisfied with the state of new theater, and in 1917, with the support of Shochiku, he formed the Shinkokugeki with the aim of creating a new national theater that would be popular with a wider audience. The inaugural performance at Shintomi-za in April of the same year was a commercial failure, but he struggled in the Kansai region, inventing speedy sword fighting, which was well received by the public, and he gained popularity under the nickname "Sawasho." Shinkokugeki grew into a large theater company with 120 members in a year and a half after it was founded, and moved to the Meijiza Theater in 1921, and continued to perform mainly in Asakusa thereafter. He advocated a "half step forward" approach with the motto "Art on the right, the masses on the left," and was known for his hit roles in Tsukigata Hanpeita, Kunisada Chuji, Tsukueryunosuke in Daibosatsu Toge, and Shirano Benjuro, while also working on foreign plays such as Yamamoto Yuzo's Infanticide and Crime and Punishment. He was a talented and energetic young man, but he died suddenly of otitis media on March 4, 1929, at the age of 36.

[Hiroshi Fujita]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

俳優。明治25年5月27日、滋賀県大津市に生まれる。父の死により3歳で東京に移る。早稲田(わせだ)大学英文科卒業。在学中に坪内逍遙(しょうよう)の文芸協会に加わり、解散後は島村抱月(ほうげつ)の芸術座に参加するが、1914年（大正3）松井須磨子(すまこ)と衝突して退座。新時代劇協会、近代劇協会を経て、いったん芸術座に復帰するが、新劇のあり方に不満を抱き、1917年に松竹の支援で、より広範な大衆に親しまれる新しい国劇を目的とする新国劇を結成。同年4月新富座での旗揚げ公演は興行的に失敗したが、関西に下って苦闘し、スピーディーな殺陣(たて)を創案、その剣劇が大衆に受け、「沢正(さわしょう)」の愛称で人気を得た。新国劇は結成1年半で座員120名の大劇団となり、1921年には明治座に東上、以後浅草を中心に公演を続けた。彼は「右に芸術、左に大衆」をモットーとする半歩前進主義を唱え、『月形半平太』『国定忠治(くにさだちゅうじ)』、『大菩薩峠(だいぼさつとうげ)』の机龍之助(つくえりゅうのすけ)、『白野弁十郎(しらのべんじゅうろう)』などを当り役とする一方、山本有三作『嬰児(えいじ)殺し』や『罪と罰』など外国劇も手がけた。才気と精力みなぎる風雲児として活躍したが、昭和4年3月4日中耳炎により36歳で急逝した。

［藤田　洋］

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