He learned well from Sadanji ICHIKAWA (II) and was the top player in new plays such as MINAMOTO no Yoriie in "Yoritomo no shi" (Yoritomo's death), Shigenari KIMURA in "Kiri hitoha" (a single paulownia leaf), Hankuro KIKUCHI in "Toribe yama shinju" (Love-suicides at Mt. Toribe), Harima AOYAMA in "Ban-cho sarayashiki," Yoshinobu TOKUGAWA in "Shogun Edo wo saru," and Tokihira in "Shosho Shigemoto no haha."
二代目市川左團次によく学び、『頼朝の死』の源頼家、『桐一葉』の木村重成『鳥辺山心中』の菊地半九郎『番町皿屋敷』の青山播磨、『将軍江戸を去る』の徳川慶喜、『少将滋幹の母』の時平などの新作物の第一人者であった。