There were two Kumakichis/Cooma Kitchis of similar age – see also Murakami Kumataro.
Kumakichi (b 1857) was a contortionist, tumbler and occasional wire walker, ending up in Australia. He was consistently named Cooma Kitchie when in Australia.
1857 born in Japan
1872 September – Thomas King hires a second troupe of Japanese to tour Britain for 2 years. 13 Japanese performers – with funding from a French Yokohama based wine merchant, C Pasquale, to tour Britain for two years. Awata Katsunoshin, aged 41, juggler, Sakuragawa Rikinosuke, aged 29, Hoshino Torakichi aged 24, wire walker, Suzuki Bunjirō, aged 43, tub/pedal balancing, Togawa Iwakichi aged 7, climber and balancer, Yanagawa Choshichirō/Itchōsai, aged 52, juggler and conjuror, Mume, daughter of Yanagawa, climber and balancer, aged 10, Shitsu/Shizu, daughter of Yanagawa, aged 6, balancer, Igarashi Hikotarō, aged 11, climber for Bunjirō, Nishida Chōtarō, aged 15, Itchōsai’s apprentice, Suzuki Ichitarō aged 9, climber and balancer for father Bunjiro, Sakai Manjiro, aged 28, rope walker, paper walker and Kondō Kikutarō, aged 14 – Sissons asserts this is Cooma Kitchi/Kumakichi.
1872 November – King’s troupe “Siamese Juvenile Troupe” arrive in Calcutta. With Mr C Pasquali, Mr and Mrs King, 13 Japanese and two children. Artistes include Torakitchi the invisible wire walker, Sacaranawa ladder balancer, Makichi, Bungaro tub balancer, Catshenoski’s juggling, Echowsi (Itchosai) legerdemain, Terakitchi top spinning
1873 July – Royal Tycoon Troupe arrive in Sydney
1873 August – Siamese Juvenile Acrobats – To Ra Kitchi, Rogozo and Coomakitchi in Sydney
1873 September – “the wonders of the world” “Coomokitchi and Rogozo” Maitland, Australia
1873 October – “five of the greatest wonders of the age as Bending Contortionists” were Coo ma Kitchi, Makichi, Co To, Itchi and Chotaro in Melbourne
1874 June – “greatest wonders of the world as bending contortionists” “Makichi, Coo Ma, Itchi, Eva, Co-Zo, Ce-Je and Chotaw”
1875 Cooma Kitchi and other members of King’s Royal Tycoon troupe sign up with John Borthwick’s Great Asiatic Circus in Australia. Cooma sometimes billed as Como or Coma, part of a group of young contortionist boys and also a wire walker.
1876 May – Cooma Kitchi performs with Great Asiatic Circus and Royal Tycoon Troupe in Australia
1877 January – Cooma Kitchie “the greatest contortionist and tumbler of the age” in Newcastle, Australia
1877 March – Sar Gengero, Fakir of Yeddo, with Coma Kitche on rope and bamboo in Goulburn, Australia
1877 May – Ridge’s Royal Tycoon Circus Japanese Troupe in Sydney with Decenoski, Bungaroo, Master Nar infant Japanese wonder, Mankitchi (wire), Shotaro, Schoson and Itchi, Cooma, Ritchi, Lauckyour, Cauzor star acrobats and funny clowns.
1877 June – September – Cooma K(R)itchi Bouckyorcoasor with Ridge’s Royal Tycoon Circus – Star of acrobats and funny clowns, nothing in the colonies to surpass them. NSW, Australia.
1879 May – June – Cooma Ritchie on the swinging bamboo, vaulter gymnast and acrobat in Queensland with Ridge’s Royal Tycoon Circus Troupe.
1880 March – Coma Kitchi the Japanese, wonderful double somersault thrower – Ridge’s Mammoth Circus NSW
1881 September – Cooma Kitchi with Ashton’s circus in Australia, with Bungaro and Itche
1882 Wirths leave Ashton’s circus to set up on their own and offer Cooma Kitchi an eighth share in their new venture
1883 January – Cooma Kitchi with Hay’s Circus in Australia
1883 March-June – Cooma Kitchi with the Royal Tycoon Troupe in Australia performing tumbling acts and slack wire walking as Coma
1883 August – Mr Cooma, the champion slack wire walker and Japanese tumbler with Bungaroo and Itchie in the Royal Tycoon Troupe in Brisbane
1883 September – Cooma Kitchi barrels and tubs in New Zealand at Woodyear’s Electric Circus
1884 February – April – Cooma Kitchi Woodyear’s Electric Circus, New Zealand. Tubs and bamboo pole acts
1884 May – Cooma Kitchie in Brisbane with the Woodyear Circus, performing tub and barrel acts.
1884 June 19th Cooma Kitche arrives in Sydney on the Leura from Brisbane
1884 June – September – Cooma Kitchi with Madame Woodyear’s Electric Circus in Australia. “the extraordinary gymnastic performances of Cooma Kitch, a phenomenal Japanese…as a tumbler Cooma showed himself king of the ring.” Also bamboo suspended from ceiling. Advertisements say he had been in Japan before coming to Australia.
1884 October – December – no mention in Australia or New Zealand
1885 January – March – Cooma Kitchie with Woodyear’s Circus in New Zealand “clever little Japanese athlete” tumbling, balancing, somersaulting, swinging bamboo, pedal tubs
1885 March – Cooma Kitchie, Japanese Wonder “who has lost one of his legs” appears in Matthews’ World Circus in Goulburn, Australia
1885 April – August no mention in Australia or New Zealand
1885 September 5th – Ketchie Cooma with the Grand Cirque, Sydney, tumbling and manipulating tubs
1885 September 26th – Cooma Ketchie/Kitchie Cooma the Japanese Wonder, Grand International Circus, New Zealand, tubs and barrels. Swinging Bamboo. To November.
1885 December – Cooma Kitchi with Woodyears’ Circus in Sydney, Australia, having returned from San Francisco via Honolulu, according to Sissons.
1885 December – February 1888 No mention of Cooma Kitchi in the press.
1886/7 son, Henry, born to Cooma Kitchi and an Aboriginal woman. Gravestone says was born in 1881 in Tokyo. Given to Perrys circus while still a baby and was raised by them. Spent his life with Australian circuses, using Cooma Kitchie as his stage-name. Died in 1969.
1888 February – Cooma the Japanese wonder, late of the Victoria Hall in Melbourne appeares at Taylor and Co’s American Circus in Melbourne, on single trapeze
1889 June – Cooma Kitchie performs a swinging bamboo act at the Haymarket in Sydney
1889 December – Cooma Kitchi the champion tumbler of Australasia – Queensland
1890 July – Mr Coomakitchia on the Barco arrives in Sydney from Brisbane
1905 Cooma Kitchie dies in Queensland
1911 Henry (aged 24/25) married Ethel Smith, a circus performer aged 19. Gave his father’s name as “Cooma Kitchie (deceased), Artist.
1938 – Mr Cooma Kitchie, general manager of Perry Bros Circus in Australia
Ninjin 