HACHIMONJIYA JISHŌ III 八文字屋自笑三世, author & publisher.

Yakusha hanakanae 役者華鼎 [Stars of the World of Acting].

Seven double-page woodcuts. 24; 25.5; 22 folding leaves. Three vols. Oblong 8vo, orig. wrappers (very rubbed), new stitching. Kyoto: Hachimonjiya Hachizaemon 八文字屋八左衛門 [= Jishō III], 1769.

First edition and a complete set of these accounts, one for each city, of the leading actors of Kyoto, Edo, and Osaka, the centers of the kabuki theater world of Edo-era Japan. The actors’ styles and popularity are evaluated and ranked, and specific plays are mentioned, along with descriptions of costumes and scripts. Numerous anecdotes of the acting world and specific actors are given. The texts contain considerable information not easily found elsewhere.

The Hachimonjiya (“Figure Eight”) bookstore in Kyoto had from the late 1650s been prominent in the publication of puppet theater and kabuki texts. In the early 18th century, the publishing house became famous for its publications of actor critiques, setting a new standard in their criticism of the art of acting. This continued for several generations.

As an example, in the volume for Kyoto, on the second leaf, ten leading actors are listed and rated for the quality of their performances. We learn to which troupe each belonged. On the following page, for each kind of role (young woman, villain, rival, etc.), actors are listed and evaluated. The following leaves of text contain reviews of plays and actors by Jishō III.

The woodcuts depict the reviewed star actors in costume for their roles, name of the play, the dates of performance, style of play, and troupe name:

–Kyoto troupes: Nakamuraza 中村座 and Onoeza 尾上座

–Edo troupes: Nakamuraza, Ichimuraza 市村座, and Moritaza 森田座

–Osaka troupes: Mimasuza 三桝座 and Yamashitaza 山下座

Internally nice copies.