Background
Gohei Namiki was born in Osaka in 1747.
並木五瓶
Gohei Namiki was born in Osaka in 1747.
He was a disciple of Shozo Namiki.
A favorite with Sojuro Sawamura III, actor, he accompanied Sojuro to Edo (1794) and wrote many masterpieces including Godairiki Koi-no-Hiijime (literally, five great powers of sealed love, a romance in the Edo Period). He wrote plays fo r Danzo Ichikawa IV for two years and then for Koshiro Matsumoto V, Good at both historical drama and drama of contemporary plebeian life, he wrote clever plays and was considered an important playwright not only in Kansai but in Edo. He and Sakurada were known as the two best playwrights of Edo. Besides plays, he wrote Gezairoku, a book on dramaturgy and history of Kabuki. Gohei II and Gohei III also were well known.
