Sadao Yamaguchi

Japanese: 山口定雄 - やまぐちさだお

Born in 1861 in Tokushima
[Died] October 2, 1907. A Nagano, Iida actor. He started out as a female actor under the name Gajaku. He is said to have been a disciple of Kataoka Gato or Nizaemon, but one theory is that after working at a bathhouse in Kochi, Tosa, he joined a traveling troupe and adopted the name of his own. He formed a troupe taking advantage of the momentum of the rise of Shosei-shibai (a type of theater where students perform in a theater). He would suddenly stop performing and give speeches, or act strangely in the streets. In 1892, he made his debut at the Tokyo Ichimura-za Theater with "Meiji Trial Defense Honor" and "Great Earthquake Omi Diary." He created an era of three troupes, along with Kawakami Otojiro's troupe and Fukui Shigebei's troupe. He was known for his dramatized performances of true detective stories, and his dramatic aerial feats using light bulbs for costumes. His contribution to nurturing the great Shinpa acts of Kawai Takeo, Kitamura Rokuro, and others should not be overlooked.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

[生]文久1(1861).徳島
[没]1907.10.2. 長野，飯田
俳優。初め我若という女方。片岡我当あるいは仁左衛門の門下といわれるが，一説に土佐高知の湯屋で働いたのち，旅回り一座に入って勝手に名のったともいう。書生芝居の興った機運に乗じて一座を組織。突然演技を中断して演説を始めたり，街で奇行を演じたりしたという。 1892年『明治裁判弁護誉』『大地震尾濃日記』をもって東京市村座に進出。川上音二郎一座，福井茂兵衛一座と3座鼎立時代をつくった。探偵実話を脚色上演したり，衣装に豆電球を使ったけれんの宙乗りで活躍した。河合武雄，喜多村緑郎ら，のちの新派の大立て物を育てた功績は見逃せない。

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