Uemura Bunrakuken

Japanese: 植村文楽軒 - うえむらぶんらくけん

The head of the Bunraku puppet theatre company. There have been six generations of puppeteers, but the first and fourth are the most famous.

First World

(1737-1810) Born in Awa (Tokushima prefecture), his real name was Doguya Okura. He worked as a dogumon (tool maker) but excelled in joruri from a young age and took the stage name Bunrakuken. Around the Kansei era (1789-1801), he moved to Osaka and opened a joruri training center, changing his surname to Uemura. Around 1805 (Bunka 2), he established a puppet joruri theater called "Kouzu Shinchi no Seki," building the foundations of today's Bunraku theater. After the death of the first head, his wife Teru's nephew, Masui Teizō, took over as the second head and ran the Inari Theater in the grounds of Naniwa Shrine in Bakuro-cho.

[Jiro Yamamoto]

IV

(1813-87), his real name was Masai Okura (later he changed his surname to Uemura), and he called himself Bunraku-o. He was naturally intelligent and had a talent for business management, and Inari plays flourished. However, with the Tenpo Reforms, performances were banned within temples and shrines, and he moved from place to place, struggling to run his business. In 1872 (Meiji 5), he put up a sign for the "Officially Licensed Bunraku Puppet Theatre" in Matsushima, Nishi-ku, Osaka, and eventually rose to a leading position in the field, becoming known as the founder of the revival of Bunraku. Business fell into disuse under the 6th generation, and in 1909 (Meiji 42), the Bunraku Theatre was transferred from the Uemura family to the Shochiku Partnership.

[Jiro Yamamoto]

[Reference] | Bunraku Theatre

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

人形浄瑠璃(じょうるり)劇団、文楽座の座元。6世まであるが、初世と4世とが有名。

初世

（1737―1810）阿波(あわ)（徳島県）の出身で、本名は道具屋大蔵。道具屋を業としたが、若いころより浄瑠璃を得意とし芸名に文楽軒を名のった。寛政(かんせい)（1789～1801）のころ大坂へ出て浄瑠璃の稽古(けいこ)所を開き、姓を植村と改めた。1805年（文化2）ごろ「高津新地(こうづしんち)の席」という人形浄瑠璃座を設け、今日の文楽座の基礎を築いた。初世没後、妻テルの甥(おい)正井貞蔵(ていぞう)が2世を継ぎ、博労(ばくろう)町難波(なにわ)神社境内に稲荷(いなり)の芝居を経営した。

［山本二郎］

4世

（1813―87）本名を正井大蔵（のち植村に改姓）、文楽翁を称した。天性慧敏(けいびん)で経営の才に富み、稲荷の芝居は隆盛に赴いた。ところが天保(てんぽう)の改革で社寺内の興行が禁止されたため、各地を転々、苦難の経営を続けたが、1872年（明治5）大阪市西区松島に「官許人形浄瑠璃文楽座」の看板を掲げ、やがて斯界(しかい)の指導的地位を占め、文楽中興の祖とうたわれた。6世のとき経営不振となり、1909年（明治42）文楽座は植村家から松竹合名社に譲渡されるに至った。

［山本二郎］

[参照項目] | 文楽座

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