Ichikawa Danjūrō

Top row, from left:
   Ichikawa Danjūrō I as Yamagami Gennaizaemon (Zōhiki)
   Ichikawa Danjūrō II as Kamakura Gongorō Kagemasa (Shibaraku)
   Ichikawa Danjūrō III as Uirō-uri or Soga no Gorō (Uirō)
   Ichikawa Danjūrō IV as Roku-bu (Kamahige)
Second Row, from left:
   Ichikawa Danjūrō V as Fudō-myō-ō (Fudō)
   Ichikawa Danjūrō VI as Hanatogawa Sukeroku (Sukeroku)
   Ichikawa Danjūrō VII as Taira no Kagekiyo (Kagekiyo)
   Ichikawa Danjūrō VIII as Soga no Gorō in Ya no Ne
Third Row, from left:
   Ichikawa Danjūrō IX
   Sanshō Ichikawa V (Danjūrō X)
   Ichikawa Danjūrō XI
   Ichikawa Danjūrō XII
In this Japanese name, the family name is Ichikawa.

Ichikawa Danjūrō (市川 團十郎) is a stage name taken on by a series of Kabuki actors of the Ichikawa family. Most of these were blood relatives, though some were adopted into the family. It is a famous and important name, and receiving it is an honor. There are a number of roles that the line of Danjūrō specialize in, as well as a series of plays, the Kabuki Jūhachiban (The Kabuki Eighteen), which showcase the specialties of the Ichikawa family.

Danjūrō, like other actors' names, is bestowed (or given up) at grand naming ceremonies called shūmei in which a number of actors formally change their names. The name Danjūrō is generally taken at the peak of an actor's career; another name may be taken after retirement. Prior to taking the name Danjūrō, an actor frequently had the names Matsumoto Kōshirō, Ichikawa Shinnosuke, or Ichikawa Ebizō.

The design of the Ichikawa family mon, three squares nested inside one another, is called mimasu or sanshō (三升). Some of the actors in this line used "Sanshō" as their haimyō, a nickname or alias used in poetry circles.

Lineage

Notes

  1. Note: the dates given here do not represent the birth/death dates of the actor; rather, they indicate the period during which the actor held the name Danjūrō.
  2. Note: though this would be "Ebizō" in modern revised Japanese, it was written with different characters, as (ゑび蔵), and thus is considered a separate name. See Historical kana usage.
  3. Fitzwilliam Museum: contemporary image of Danjūrō VII (1819)
  4. Fitzwilliam Museum; contemporary image of Danjūrō VIII (c. 1836)
  5. Popular Kabuki actor Ichikawa Danjuro dies at 66. Mainichi Shinbun, 4 Feb 2013.

See also

The Ichikawa family crest (mon)

References

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, March 10, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.