was one of the most successful and famous
Kabuki
is a classical form of Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily-stylised performances, the often-glamorous costumes worn by performers, and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.
Kabuki is thought to ...
actors of the
Meiji period
The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912.
The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...
(1868–1912).
Ninth in the line of actors to hold the name
Ichikawa Danjūrō
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 r ...
, he is depicted in countless ''
ukiyo-e
Ukiyo-e is a genre of Japanese art which flourished from the 17th through 19th centuries. Its artists produced woodblock prints and paintings
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surfac ...
'' actor prints (''
yakusha-e
''Yakusha-e'' (役者絵), often referred to as "actor prints" in English, are Japanese woodblock prints or, rarely, paintings, of kabuki actors, particularly those done in the ''ukiyo-e'' style popular through the Edo period (1603–1867) and in ...
''), and is widely credited with ensuring Kabuki stayed vibrant and strong as Japan struggled with modernization and Westernization.
According to one scholar,
Ichikawa Danjūrō, the ninth, was the torch-bearer of Kabuki during the long reign of the Emperor Mutsuhito, known as the Meiji era, which endured for forty-five years (1868–1912). Danjūrō, the ninth, was the bridge that spanned the sudden gulf which yawned between the traditional past and the uncertain and changing modern world. He may be regarded as the saviour of Kabuki during a period when it might have suffered shipwreck, had there not been a man of genius at the helm to guide the craft through the troubled waters.[Kincaid, Zoë (1925). Kabuki, the Popular Stage of Japan. London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd.]
Names
Like most Kabuki actors, Danjūrō IX was called by a number of different stage names at different points in his career. "Ichikawa Danjūrō" is traditionally a name earned at the climax of one's career, and kept until retirement. Prior to being granted that name, he was known as Kawarasaki Sanshō, Kawarasaki Gonnosuke VII, Kawarasaki Gonjūrō I, Kawarasaki Chōjūrō III, and Ichikawa Jukai II.
Lineage
Fifth son of
Ichikawa Danjūrō VII, Danjūrō was a direct descendant of the first to hold the name Ichikawa Danjūrō. He had six brothers in Kabuki:
Danjūrō VIII,
Ebizō VII,
Ebizō VIII, Ichikawa Komazō VI, Ichikawa Saruzō I, and Ichikawa Kōzō. He was adopted by
Kawarazaki Gonnosuke VI, and was the father-in-law of
Ichikawa Danjūrō X. Danjuro had two daughters, Ichikawa Suisen II and Ichikawa Kyokubai II, and a granddaughter, Ichikawa Suisen III. Though women were banned from performing in kabuki, they took part in the theater, playing very minor roles and as stagehands.
Life & career
Born in 1838, in Edo's Sakai district, the fifth son of
Ichikawa Danjūrō VII, his parents were not legally married. He was adopted by
Kawarasaki Gonnosuke VI, the head of the
Kawarazaki-za
The was one of the major kabuki theatres in Edo (modern-day Tokyo) during the Edo period and into the Meiji period. Not being one of the four theatres formally licensed by the Tokugawa shogunate, the theatre was largely inactive for long stretch ...
theater, where he would begin his acting career. His debut was in January 1845, at the age of seven, and he was given the name Kawarasaki Chōjūrō III. Just over ten years later, in October 1855, the Kawarasaki-za and much of the city of Edo was destroyed in the
Ansei earthquake. Now known as Kawarasaki Gonjūrō I, the actor began performing at the
Ichimura-za
The was a major kabuki theatre in the Japanese capital of Edo (later, Tokyo), for much of the Edo period, and into the 20th century. It was first opened in 1634 and was run by members of the Ichimura family for much of the following nearly thre ...
. There, he would play
Benkei
, popularly known as simply Benkei, was a Japanese warrior monk (''sōhei'') who lived in the latter years of the Heian Period (794–1185) .html" ;"title="/sup>">/sup>. Benkei led a varied life, first becoming a monk, then a mountain ascetic, ...
for the first time in July 1859, a few months after the death of his biological father.
Gonjūrō continued performing at the Ichimura-za for many years. In September 1868, his adoptive father was killed by a thief; Gonjūrō would become head (''
zagashira'') of the theater the following year, taking his murdered father's name, and becoming Kawarasaki Gonnosuke VII. Later that year, Gonnosuke would play the leading role of
Katō Kiyomasa
was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Azuchi–Momoyama and Edo periods. His court title was Higo-no-kami. His name as a child was ''Yashamaru'', and first name was ''Toranosuke''. He was one of Hideyoshi's Seven Spears of Shizugatake.
Biography
...
in ''Momoyama Monogatari''. This play was an early predecessor of an experimental form which would come to be called ''
katsureki'' (活歴). Gonnosuke would later seek to develop and popularize ''katsureki'' plays, which sought to reproduce historical events as accurately as possible. In 1874, Gonnosuke, now known as Kawarasaki Sanshō, began managing and performing once more at the now-rebuilt and reopened Kawarasaki-za. At the reopening ceremony, or perhaps shortly afterwards, he took the honored name Ichikawa Danjūrō IX, which had not been held for twenty years. Danjūrō gave up managing the following year, however, and toured for six years in the provinces of
Kozuke and
Shimotsuke.
He returned to Edo (now
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
) in 1881, and performed for
Emperor Meiji
, also called or , was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession. Reigning from 13 February 1867 to his death, he was the first monarch of the Empire of Japan and presided over the Meiji era. He was the figur ...
at the house of the
Minister for Foreign Affairs
A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between coun ...
, along with the celebrated actors
Onoe Kikugorō V
was a Japanese Kabuki actor, one of the three most famous and celebrated of the Meiji period,"Onoe family" (尾上家, ''Onoe-ke'')Kabuki Encyclopedia(歌舞伎事典, ''kabuki jiten''). Japan Arts Council, 2001–2003. Accessed 30 May 2009. alon ...
and
Ichikawa Sadanji I, in April 1887. Two years later, in November 1889, he became ''zagashira'' (head) of the newly opened
Kabuki-za
in Ginza is the principal theater in Tokyo for the traditional ''kabuki'' drama form.
History
The Kabuki-za was originally opened by a Meiji era journalist, Fukuchi Gen'ichirō. Fukuchi wrote kabuki dramas in which Ichikawa Danjūrō IX and ot ...
, which is today the principal Kabuki theater in Japan. Unquestionably one of the top actors of the time, Danjūrō performed in the premieres of many plays at the Kabuki-za, and took part in a number of other events of import. By this point, he also had his daughters performing on stage, as ''
kuroko
are stagehands in traditional Japanese theatre, who dress all in black.
Lexical background
黒衣 primarily read kurogo, differentiating from the other readings kokui/kokue/kuroginu "black clothes", the go/gi suffix underlining the wearing i ...
'' (stagehands) and in very minor roles. In 1893, he performed at the grand opening ceremonies for the
Meiji-za
The is a theatre in Chūō, Tokyo, Japan. It was originally constructed in 1873. It presents ''kabuki'' and Western stage plays.
History
The theatre first opened in the district of Hisamatsu-chô as the Kishô-za in 1873. Six years later it reop ...
theater.
Along with
Onoe Kikugorō V
was a Japanese Kabuki actor, one of the three most famous and celebrated of the Meiji period,"Onoe family" (尾上家, ''Onoe-ke'')Kabuki Encyclopedia(歌舞伎事典, ''kabuki jiten''). Japan Arts Council, 2001–2003. Accessed 30 May 2009. alon ...
, he was very likely the first kabuki actor to appear in a film; ''
Momijigari'' (Maple Leaf Viewing) was filmed in 1899. Danjūrō had nothing but contempt for film, but was eventually convinced that a film of his act would be a gift to posterity. He only agreed to be filmed on the condition that it would not be seen by anyone until after his death. The play was filmed by
Shibata Tsunekichi was one of Japan's first filmmakers. He worked for the photographer Shirō Asano and the Konishi Camera shop, the first in Japan to import a motion picture camera. Along with Kanzo Shirai, he made the earliest films in Japan, mostly of geisha, ...
in the open air on a windy day, and Danjūrō allowed only one take.
Danjūrō would play Benkei for the last time in April 1899, and made his final appearance on stage in May 1903. He died, in Tokyo, in September of that year. His grave is at
Aoyama Cemetery
is a cemetery in Aoyama, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, managed by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. The cemetery is also famous for its cherry blossoms, and at the season of hanami, which many people would visit.
History
The cemetery was origin ...
.
Danjūrō had many disciples, including
Matsumoto Kōshirō VII,
Ichikawa Monnosuke VI,
Ichikawa Chūsha VII,
Ichikawa Shinzō V, Ichikawa Gangyoku II,
Ichikawa Raizō V,
Ichikawa Gonjūrō,
Ichikawa Sumizō V, Ichikawa Dan'emon I, Ichikawa Dan'emon II, Ichikawa Shōzō III, Ichikawa Shinjūrō II, Ichikawa Shinjūrô III, and
Ichikawa Danshirō II.
See also
*
Shūmei
''Shūmei'' (, "name succession") are grand naming ceremonies held in kabuki theatre. Most often, a number of actors will participate in a single ceremony, taking on new stage-names.
These stagenames, most often those of the actor's father, gran ...
Notes
References
Ichikawa Danjūrō IX at Kabuki21.com Accessed 7 September 2006.
External links
*
Ukiyo-e prints at Kabuki21.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ichikawa, Danjuro 09
Kabuki actors
1837 births
1903 deaths
Burials in Japan
People from Tokyo
Male actors from Tokyo