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My Take
Honestly, just reading "kabuki actor born in 1870" makes me sit up a little straighter. This is a man who entered the world while Tokyo still had Edo lingering in its bones, and who lived almost eighty years through the entire Meiji and Taishō eras into the postwar wreckage of 1949. That's not a biography, that's a whole chapter of Japanese history walking around in costume. Carrying a great hereditary name like Matsumoto Kōshirō meant inheriting centuries of weight every time he stepped onstage, and I find that kind of lineage genuinely moving. We don't get to scroll clips of him, which is a real shame, but that's almost the point: people like him polished the craft and handed it forward so kabuki still breathes today. I tip my hat, quietly.
Overview
Matsumoto Kōshirō VII was a Japanese kabuki actor born on May 12, 1870, in Tokyo, Japan. He carried one of the most prestigious hereditary stage names in kabuki tradition. He lived through the Meiji, Taisho, and early Showa eras, passing away on January 27, 1949.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Matsumoto Kōshirō VII
- Name (Japanese)
- 七代目 松本幸四郎
- Reading
- しちだいめ まつもと こうしろう
- Born
- May 12, 1870 – January 27, 1949
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Taurus / Horse
- Origin
- Tokyo, Japan
- Occupation
- Kabuki actor
2. Links
3. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Matsumoto Kōshirō VII born?
Born May 12, 1870.
When did Matsumoto Kōshirō VII die?
Died January 27, 1949, aged 78.
Where was Matsumoto Kōshirō VII from?
Matsumoto Kōshirō VII was from Tokyo, Japan.
What did Matsumoto Kōshirō VII do?
Matsumoto Kōshirō VII worked as Kabuki actor.