Otojiro Arayama born 1877
1889 December Arayama 鹿三郎 Rokusaburo group of 4 depart Japan for UK, Australia (no evidence of them ever reaching Australia)
1900 January – Otojiro, Japanese Wire Walker and Foot Juggler – address – Music Hall, 401 The Strand. Advertisement in Music Hall & Theatre Review
1901 December appears as Prince Otto, the Royal Japanese wire and foot equilibrist, in Shields.
1902 October married Aldione Jane Ross in Lambeth (probably Ada Ross, Scottish comedienne and dancer, smart burlesque actress)
1902 December Prince Otto, a Japanese, accomplishes some clever feats on slack wire
1903 December Prince Otto, Japanese equilibrist, is popular.
1904 March Prince Otto, the youthful Japanese wire walker is a marvel
1905 August – September – Arayama’s Japanese Company – Olympia Liverpool, then Savoy London, performing a Japanese drama, Hara Kiri with 13 performers (3 female), samisen and koto which introduces fencing and jiu jitsu.
1905 October JAPANESE PLAY AT THE SAVOY The Hara-Kiri, which nightly precedes that amusing force, What the Butler Saw, now that it has been transferred to the Savoy, is a quaint little play, cleverly presented by Mr. Arayama’s company players. It tells of gallant old-time Samurai, who seeking to avenge himself on his hereditary foes, is captured, and then, because of his bravery, is pardoned, and retires to spend the remainder of his life in the service of Buddha, comforted with the companionship of a faithful little geisha. The man who commits suicide is not the hero, but faithful follower called Tomatada. He has loyally fought and striven for his lord, and when he thinks all failed he kills himself in the national manner, and, moreover, he does this in a most gruesomely realistic manner. This part, very cleverly played by Mr. Miyoshi, is quite the most effective in the play, though Mr. Sato is very forcible as the gallant armour-clad Samurai. The little lady whose portrait give is Miss Hanako, who plays the geisha Akoya in love with Kagekiyo, the Samurai. She is very diminutive but very talented. She plays the koto and the samisen, she sings in queer little high-pitched voice, and she does quaint dance on curious wooden clogs or stilts. She is an exquisitely dainty figure, and has the air of having just stepped off a rare fan or vase. All the dresses are beautiful and interesting, and the picturesque debts are most curious. They reproduce exactly the scenes depicted on Japanese jars, and who want to see most novel and picturesque entertainment should on no account miss The Hara-Kiri at the Savoy. (Graphic, 7 October 1905)
1906 January – Arayama slack wire and barrel manipulating – Southport. Arayama the Japanese wonder, the greatest hire wire walker and clever foot equilibrist Blackpool
1908 February – Aldione Otora Arayama born to Otojiro and Aldione
1908 August – Arayama – slack wire and equilibrist – London
1909 – 1910 January touring Britain. Marie Santoi and her troupe of Merry Japs, in a delightful song scene, A Japanese Tea Garden. A Japanese wire walker Arayama, bamboo tricks.
Arayama, a typical small nimble Jap, created a sensation with his exploits on the tight wire, and bamboo trick which he challenges the world to imitate. Briefly lie walks up two smooth vertical 12 foot bamboo poles with nothing but hand and toe grip, and then moves about the stage like a man on stilts. It is an astonishing feat. (Runcorn Examiner)
1910 January – France – foot equilibrist
1911 February – Aldione and Aldione Otora return to Britain from Rio de Janeiro.
1911 February – May touring Britain
1911 April – lodger in Manchester with Aldione, “Professional acrobat”
1911 September – France
1911 December – in Nimes, France Les 3 Arayama
1919 January – arrived back in Britain from Argentina
1919 April – June – touring Britain. Arayama the Japanese Marvel.
1920 July – in Dublin
1920 December – January 1921 – France
1921 February – Toulouse – Arayama le merveilleux Japonais
1921 June census Aldione and Aldione Otora boarding in Southwark
1921 October – Troyes France
1922 Otojiro Arayama died in Camberwell, aged 45.
Ninjin 