Nakamura Karoku I (grandfather) Nakamura Tokizō III (younger brother) Nakamura Kanzaburō XVII (younger brother) Masako Fujima (daughter) Matsumoto Hakuō I (son-in-law) Matsumoto Hakuō II (grandson) Nakamura Kichiemon II (grandson/adoptive son) Matsumoto Koshirō X (great-grandson)[b] Kio Matsumoto (great-granddaughter)[c] Takako Matsu (great-granddaughter)[d] Yoko Namino (great-granddaughter)[e] Ichikawa Somegorō VIII (great-great-grandson)[f] Mio Matsuda
(great-great-granddaughter)[g] Onoe Ushinosuke VII (great-great-grandson)[h]
Nakamura Kichiemon I (初代中村吉右衛門, Shodai Nakamura Kichiemon, March 24, 1886 – September 8, 1954) was a Japaneseactor and kabuki performer. In 1945, he became the senior living kabuki actor in Japan.[1]
Biography
Kichiemon construed his career in terms of "lifelong study" (gei) of that which cannot be seen in an actor's performance.[2]
Nakamura Kichiemon is a formal kabuki stage name. The actor first appeared using the name in 1897; and he continued to use this name until his death.[3]
He was the maternal grandfather of Nakamura Kichiemon II.[4] In the conservative Kabuki world, stage names are passed from father to son in formal system which converts the kabuki stage name into a mark of accomplishment.[5] In choosing to be known by the same stage name as his grandfather, the living kabuki performer honors his family relationships and tradition.
In a long career, he acted in many kabuki plays, including the role of Matsuō-maru in the July 1951 production of Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami.[6]
Selected works
In a statistical overview derived from writings by and about Nakamura Kichiemon I, OCLC/WorldCat encompasses roughly 10+ works in 20+ publications in 2 languages and 80+ library holdings.[7]
^While the stage names of all kabuki actors have retained traditional order (Surname-Givenname) on Wikipedia, birth names of those born after the Meiji Restoration are in Western order (Givenname-Surname).
^Son of his great-granddaughter Yoko Namino (daughter of Nakamura Kichiemon II) and kabuki actor Onoe Kikunosuke V (son of famous Kabuki actor Onoe Kikugorō VII)
