Yoshizawa Ayame I

Though most commonly known as Ayame, Yoshizawa took on the stage names of Yoshizawa Kikunojō during a brief stint performing in Edo, and Yoshizawa Gonshichi when performing as a tachiyaku (in male roles). He also used the name "Gonshichi" as a nickname (替名, kaena) used when patronizing a brothel or restaurant. His haimyō (俳名, poetry name) was Shunsui, and his guild name (家名, kamei) Tachibanaya, after his mentor Tachibana Gorozaemon.

Ayame had four sons who followed their father in acting. They were Yoshizawa Ayame II, Yoshizawa Ayame III, Yamashita Matatarō I, and Nakamura Tomijurō I. Yoshizawa Ayame V and Yoshizawa Matatarō II were his grandsons, and Yoshizawa Iroha II his great-grandson.

Ayame also had a number of disciples, including Yoshizawa Sengiku, Yoshizawa Takegorō, and Yoshizawa Tamazuma.

Ayame was born in Kyoto, where he was a male prostitute before becoming involved in the more legitimate theater world. Tachibana Gorozaemon, a samurai from Tanba Province, became his patron, arranging for him an apprenticeship first under shamisen player Mizushima Shirobei in the troupe of actor Arashi San'emon I, and later under San'emon himself.

Trained in the shamisen and in the ways of Kabuki, Ayame, known as Ayanosuke in his childhood, sought to learn Noh chanting and acting as well, seeking lessons from Tachibana, but was refused. His patron insisted that he focus on learning to be an onnagata, and that he not allow the study of Noh or other disciplines to corrupt his chanting, dancing, and acting style. In his early years on stage, Yoshizawa was often compared to, and outshined by, Yoshida Ayame, another onnagata actor; however, it is said that once Yoshida began taking Noh lessons, his kabuki suffered, and soon lost popularity to Yoshizawa. Yoshizawa then took on the guild name "Tachibanaya", and Tachibana's nickname "Gonshichi" as well, in honor of his patron, and in thanks for his guidance.

Ayame traveled to Edo for the first time in 1690, and performed at the Morita-za and Nakamura-za for three years. He would return to Edo again, briefly, in November 1695, performing at the Yamamura-za under the stage name Yoshizawa Kikunojō. When in Kamigata (Kyoto and Osaka), however, he always went by Ayame. Upon his return from Edo the first time, in 1693, he performed for the first time alongside tachiyaku Sakata Tōjūrō I, in the premiere of Butsumo Mayasan Kaichō by famous playwright Chikamatsu Monzaemon. Ayame and Tōjūrō would perform as partners countless times over the course of their careers.

Performing primarily in Kyoto, with some brief stints in Osaka, Ayame acted in countless plays, and became very well regarded in the Kamigata theatre world. In 1711, he was ranked in the Kyoto hyōbanki (a regular publication ranking actors and performances) as goku-jō-jō-kichi (極上上吉extreme-superior-superior-excellent). He achieved the same ranking in Edo three years later, a rare feat considering that most actors did not see success in both Kamigata and Edo, and many did not travel between the two regions at all.

After many more successes onstage, Ayame decided, in 1721, to become a tachiyaku. He performed in male roles for two years, but was not popular in these roles, and became an onnagata once more in 1723. Later that year, he left Kyoto for the final time, settling in Osaka, and appearing onstage for the last time in 1728.[3]

The playwright Fukuoka Yagoshiro, who knew Ayame personally, put down a series of training techniques that he acquired from Ayame (and others that worked with him) in a chapter titled The Words of Ayame that can be found in The Actor's Analects. The chapter outlines secrets that Ayame used to perfect his craft within himself and others.

1. Carefully bear in mind the softness of a woman.
2. 竜 (the Japanese character for dragon) is too strong to use in an onnagata's name.
3. Even when playing strong-willed women, one must bear in mind a soft heart.
4. One must not eat food that would make him seem unladylike.
5. Keep the audience in mind despite what would happen in the real world. Keep a balance between realism and imagination.
6. When playing a Samurai's wife, one must be able to use his sword better than his husband. This represents the loyal heart within the Samurai's wife.
7. The actor must live his life as a woman in order to become a truly skilled onnagata.
8. Do not become over-excited from the praise from the audience. This will cause you to repeat what was done before and thus betray the art.
9. Do not try to make the audience laugh.
10. There is no actor who can play both a man and a woman.
11. An onnagata that feels he is unable to play a woman is "ignorant of a woman's feelings."
12. An onnagata must remember to always remain feminine, while at the same time, never at complete ease.
13. An onnagata must always play the part of a virtuous woman.
14. Do not be a selfish actor.
15. Always think of giving and receiving with your partner onstage.
16. An actor should focus on one type of theatre to truly hone his craft.
17. Use your skills to make the lesser actors seem like good actors.
18. An actor must be willing to divert from a successful pattern of acting.
19. A truly successful onnagata will continue to be an onnagata even in the dressing room.
20. An actor must keep a child's heart.
21. Acting should create truth onstage.
22. Do not force a habit to go away. It will cause concentration to be lost.
23. An actor cannot allow the text to insult them personally.
24. If an onnagata is referred to as "young", it means that he did well onstage.[4]

• Yoshizawa Ayame - the line of actors bearing the name.

• Yoshizawa Ayame I at Kabuki21.com
• Dunn, C. and B. Torigoe (1969). The Actors Analects. New York: Columbia University Press. pp49–66.
• Kominz, Laurence R. (1997). The Stars who Created Kabuki'. Tokyo: Kodansha International. pp181–223.