Matsunosuke Onoe facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Matsunosuke Onoe
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Matsunosuke Onoe during the filming of Chushin-gura (1910)
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| Born | September 12, 1875 Okayama, Japan
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| Died | September 11, 1926 (aged 50) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1880–1926 |
Matsunosuke Onoe (尾上 松之助, Onoe Matsunosuke, September 12, 1875 – September 11, 1926), sometimes known as Medama no Matchan ("Eyeballs" Matsu), was a famous Japanese actor. His real name was Tsuruzo Nakamura. He also used other names like Yukio Koki or Tsurusaburo Onoe when acting.
Matsunosuke Onoe became incredibly popular. He starred in over 1,000 movies! Many people call him the first superstar of Japanese cinema.
Contents
Matsunosuke Onoe's Acting Journey
Early Life and Kabuki
Matsunosuke Onoe started his acting career in a traveling kabuki group. Kabuki is a traditional Japanese theater style with elaborate costumes and makeup. He said he first acted on stage in 1880.
He loved acting so much that he left his home at age 14 to travel with a troupe. By 1892, he was acting under the stage name Tsurusaburo Onoe. In 1905, he began using the more famous name Matsunosuke Onoe.
From Stage to Screen
Onoe's kabuki group often performed at a theater in Kyoto. This theater was owned by Shozo Makino. Onoe was known for his amazing stage tricks in kabuki.
In 1909, a film company asked Makino to make movies. Makino started filming scenes from the theater's performances. Onoe made his movie debut that year in a film called Goban Tadanobu. This movie was based on a famous kabuki play.
Becoming a Movie Star
Onoe's acting group was very popular. Makino chose Onoe to star in many of his future movies. Onoe became a huge star, appearing in hundreds of films. The movie Araki Mataemon in 1925 was even advertised as his 1,000th film!
He played the main characters in almost all the stories from a best-selling publisher called Tachikawa Bunko. Onoe and his group worked closely with Makino for over ten years. Makino directed Onoe in 60 to 80 movies every year.
Onoe and Makino also helped create the jidai-geki genre. These were historical films, often about samurai. Onoe also made ninja films very popular.
Why He Was So Popular
Onoe's movies were a big hit. People affectionately called him "Medama no Matchan" ("Eyeballs" Matsu). This was because of his large, expressive eyes.
Children especially loved him! They would often copy his ninja moves in their games. Many film experts believe he was the first superstar in Japanese cinema. This was due to how many movies he made and how much people loved him.
Silent Films and Storytellers
Onoe's films were silent. This means they had no spoken dialogue. Instead, a live narrator called a benshi (pronounced ben-shee) would tell the story in the theater.
His movies often followed kabuki traditions. For example, most of his early films used male oyama actors to play female roles. This was common in kabuki theater.
Many of his films were short. However, he also starred in longer movies. One of these, the 1910 film Chushin-gura, is thought to be the oldest feature film that still exists today. Sadly, only a few of his films survived over time. Many were lost due to poor storage, the Great Kantō earthquake of 1923, and the bombing during World War II.
His Final Years
In 1926, Matsunosuke Onoe collapsed while filming Kyokotsu Mikajiki. He passed away later that year from heart disease. His funeral was even filmed for a documentary called The Funeral of Matsunosuke Onoe.
