Following in his birth father's footsteps as a master of traditional dance, he bore the stage name Fujima Kan'emon III in that context.

The man who would later become known by the stage name Matsumoto Kōshirō VII was born as Hata Kintarō in 1870 in the village of Tōin, in the Mie Prefecture.

He was the third son of Hata Senji, a builder and contractor who owned a construction company known as "Fukudaya", and his wife Toyokichi Ryō.

Along with the onnagata Onoe Baikō VI and wagotoshi Sawamura Sōjūrō VII, Kōshirō became one of the troupe's leading actors.

He performed, often alongside these two compatriots, in productions in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, a rare feat for a Kabuki actor.

This was in large part due to the differences between the Tokyo (Edo) and Kyoto-Osaka (Kamigata) styles of acting; few actors were particularly successful at performing in both regions.

Two of his more common roles in this period, which he played in multiple cities, were those of Nikko Danjō in Meiboku Sendai Hagi and Benkei.

Kōshirō continued to perform in all three major cities through World War II, and made his last stage appearance in December 1948, at the Shinbashi Enbujō in Tokyo.

Although he was a candidate to succeed to the name of his master, who didn't have a male heir, and become Danjuro X, his youthful indiscretions foreclosed this possibility.