Takemoto Kotosa

Japanese: 竹本小土佐 - たけもと・ことさ

Year of death: January 1, 1977
Year of birth: April 23, 1872 (May 29, 1872)
A female Gidayu performer who maintained a long career from the heyday of Onna Gidayu in the Meiji period to the end of the Showa period. Her real name was Honda (Ta) Tsuma. Her father was Kanzaburo and her mother was Ken. She was born in Nagoya. She learned koto and jiuta from an early age, and began Gidayu at the age of 11. At the age of 12, she was discovered by the 4th generation Takemoto Tosatayu and became his disciple. She was allowed to use the name Kotosa, and continued her training by touring the city. In 1886, she moved to Tokyo, where she made a name for herself as a true performer at a vaudeville theater in Ueno, and performed in men's clothing. Her beauty and rich voice made her popular, and she was considered a rival of Takemoto Ayanosuke. She subsequently performed in Nagoya, Tokyo, and other parts of the country. She married at the age of 31 and lived in Tokyo. After the Great Kanto Earthquake, Onna Gidayu declined, but she did not retire and continued to train the next generation. She was awarded the Purple Ribbon Medal in 1955, and passed away at the age of 104. It also appears in Takahama Kyoshi's novels and Takehisa Yumeji's notes.

(Yumiko Tanaka)

Source: Asahi Japanese Historical Biography: Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc. About Asahi Japanese Historical Biography

Japanese:

没年：昭和52.1.1(1977)
生年：明治5.4.23(1872.5.29)
明治の娘義太夫全盛期から昭和末まで長く芸歴を保った女義太夫の太夫。本名本田(多)つま。父は勘三郎,母はけん。名古屋生まれ。幼少より箏や地歌を習い,11歳のころ義太夫を始める。12歳で4代目竹本土佐太夫に見いだされ入門。小土佐の名を許され,巡業に従い修業を積む。明治19(1886)年上京し,上野の寄席で真打ちの看板をあげ,男装にて出演。美貌と豊かな声で人気を呼び,竹本綾之助のライバルとされた。以後名古屋,東京ほか全国各地で興行。31歳で結婚し東京に住む。関東大震災後,娘義太夫は衰退したが,引退せず後進を育成。昭和30(1955)年紫綬褒章受章,満104歳で没した。高浜虚子の小説や竹久夢二の手記にも登場する。<参考文献>内野三悳『竹本小土佐の芸術と人』

(田中悠美子)

出典　朝日日本歴史人物事典：（株）朝日新聞出版朝日日本歴史人物事典について　情報

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