(1791-11 July 1820) was a ''zamoto'' (theatre owner-manager) of 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 ...

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 though ...

theatre in Edo, Japan. Like many ''zamoto'', he was raised in a kabuki family and trained to be an actor, but rarely actually appeared on stage.

Names and lineage

Given the name Ichimura Manjirō I upon his adoption by Ichimura Uzaemon X, he became the eleventh in the line of Ichimura Uzaemon upon the death of his adopted father. Uzaemon used "Kakitsu" as his '' haimyō'' (poetry pen-name). His brother Bandō Kamezō I and son Ichimura Takenojō V were active actors on the stage, as were many of his grandsons, great-grandsons, and further descendants to whom he also passed on the position of ''zamoto''. The current actors Nakamura Kantarō II,

Nakamura Shichinosuke II (born May 18, 1983) is a Japanese Kabuki, theatre, TV, and film actor. He was born , the second son of famed Kabuki performer, Nakamura Kanzaburō XVIII. Unlike many kabuki actors, who specialize in a single type of role, Shichinosuke plays bot ...

, and Bandō Kamesaburō V are his great-great-great-great-grandsons.

Life and career

He was born in Edo in 1791, the son of Fukuchi Mohei IV, a publisher and secondary manager of the Ichimura-za. At the age of two, he was adopted by Ichimura Uzaemon X in the same year that the theatre went bankrupt and closed, passing its license to the

Kiri-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 three ...

. The Ichimura-za reopened in 1798, and Uzaemon X died the following year. Manjirō, as he was then known, took on the name Uzaemon XI in 1800, officially becoming ''zamoto'' at the age of nine, though the actual administrative matters were handled by Fukuchi Zenbei, the owner of a ''shibai jaya'' (a teahouse within the theatre). Uzaemon was only head of the Ichimura-za for fifteen years. During this short time, the theatre saw many productions, and hosted actors as famous as Matsumoto Kōshirō V and Iwai Hanshirō V. However, the theatre was also destroyed by fire three times over this period. Uzaemon struggled with the debts incurred by his predecessors, and the costs of repeatedly rebuilding the theatre; the Ichimura-za declared bankruptcy in 1815, transferring its license to the Kiri-za once again. The license was then passed to the

Miyako-za was one of the three main ''kabuki'' theatres of Edo alongside the Morita-za and Ichimura-za. History It was founded in 1624 by Nakamura Kanzaburō 1st. The Nakamura-za relocated to the new capital Tokyo in 1868 and reopened under Nakamura ...

when the Kiri-za went bankrupt in 1817, and again to the Tamagawa-za when the Miyako-za went bankrupt in turn the following year. Uzaemon died in Edo in 1820, at the age of 29.

References

Ichimura Uzaemon XI at Kabuki21.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ichimura Uzaemon 11 Zamoto Businesspeople from Tokyo 1791 births 1820 deaths Kabuki