Shin Hosho

Noh actor. 10th generation head of the Hosho school of supporting actors. Also called "Arata." His real name was Chotaro. He was born in Imagawabashi, Tokyo. An unrivaled master of supporting roles. When the Imperial Art Academy was founded in 1937 (Showa 12), he was selected as a member along with the first Umewaka Manzaburo. He received a strict education from his father Kingoro, but left this path at the age of 16 and returned to Noh when he was nearly 30, which shows his talent and the quality of his basic education. Blessed with Edo-style beauty and an excellent voice, he supported all the shite and raised the level of Noh. His senior disciples were Matsumoto Kenzo and Hosho Yaichi (his son-in-law), and Mori Shigeyoshi (1916-91) and Hosho Akihiko (1922- ) were his own children. Hōshō Kan and Mori Tsuneyoshi were his grandsons. His laziness was so great that even when his disciple Natsume Soseki wrote him a letter of refusal, he continued to attend practice, to the point that Soseki became fed up with him. Other disciples of Soseki, including Nogami Toyoichiro, Abe Yoshishige, and Komiya Toyotaka, studied under Hōshō Shin and made a great contribution to Noh.

[Masuda Shozo]

"The New Autobiography of Hosho" (1959, Nohgaku Shorin)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

能楽師。ワキ方下掛(しもがか)り宝生流10世宗家。「あらた」ともいう。本名朝太郎。東京・今川橋に生まれる。希代のワキの名人。1937年（昭和12）に帝国芸術院が創設されると、初代梅若万三郎とともにその会員に選ばれた。父金五郎のスパルタ教育を受けたが、16歳でこの道を離れ、30歳近くなってから能に復帰したという経歴の持ち主だけに、その天分と基礎教育の確かさがわかる。江戸前の美貌(びぼう)と優れた美声に恵まれ、あらゆるシテをもり立てて、能の水準を高めた。高弟に松本謙三(けんぞう)、宝生弥一(やいち)（娘婿）があり、森茂好(しげよし)（1916―91）、宝生彰彦(あきひこ)（1922―　）は実子。宝生閑(かん)、森常好(つねよし)は孫にあたる。そのずぼらさに、弟子の夏目漱石(そうせき)が断りの手紙を出しても、またのこのこと稽古(けいこ)に出かけ、漱石も辟易(へきえき)したといった逸話が多い。野上豊一郎(とよいちろう)、安倍能成(あべよししげ)、小宮豊隆(とよたか)ほか、漱石門下も宝生新に学び、能への貢献が大きかった。

［増田正造］

『『宝生新自伝』（1959・能楽書林）』

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