Hongoza

Japanese: 本郷座 - ほんごうざ

This theater was located in Harukicho, Hongo, Tokyo. It opened in 1873 (Meiji 6) under the name Okuda-za. The owner was Okuda Toichiro. It soon fell into a recession and was renamed Haruki-za. It flourished for a time thanks to the popularity of the Kataoka brothers Gadou (10th Nizaemon) and Gato (11th Nizaemon), but fell into difficulty again. In 1885, Osaka impresario Torikuma (Mitamura Kumakichi) took over and, although it lasted about a year, was a huge hit with his cheap plays, sparking a cheap play boom throughout Tokyo. It burned down in 1890, but was rebuilt the following year. It continued to hold monthly performances with mediocre actors, but struggled, so in 1896 the Haruki-za Co., Ltd. was established.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

東京本郷春木町にあった劇場。1873年(明治6)奥田座の名称で開場。座元は奥田登一郎であった。ほどなく不況に陥り春木座と改称，片岡我童(10世仁左衛門)･我当(11世仁左衛門)兄弟の人気で一時栄えたが，再び苦境に入った。85年大阪の興行師鳥熊(三田村熊吉)が乗り込み，約1年であったが値安芝居で大当り，東京中に値安芝居のブームを巻き起こした。90年類焼，翌年再建，以後中どころの役者で毎月興行を続けたが苦しく，96年春木座株式会社を設立した。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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