was a Japanese

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 ...

actor. He was a ''

tachiyaku is a term used in the Japanese theatrical form kabuki to refer to young adult male roles, and to the actors who play those roles. Though not all ''tachiyaku'' roles are heroes, the term does not encompass roles such as villains or comic figures, ...

'' actor (performer of male roles), specializing in playing the roles of young, handsome lovers in the ''

wagoto , or ''soft style'', is a style of kabuki acting that emphasizes realistic speech and gestures. Wagoto actors typically do not employ the exaggerated makeup and costuming common to the more exaggerated ''aragoto'' (''rough'') style. Wagoto was p ...

'' style, a type of role known as ''nimaime''. Kan'ya is also known for his early postwar film career, and as the adoptive father of

Bandō Tamasaburō V (born 25 April 1950) is a Kabuki actor, and the most popular and celebrated ''onnagata'' (an actor specializing in female roles) currently on stage. He has also acted in a handful of films. Life and career Born in 1950, Shin'ichi Morita was a ...

, the most famous and popular ''

onnagata (also ) are male actors who play female roles in kabuki theatre. History The modern all-male kabuki was originally known as ("male kabuki") to distinguish it from earlier forms. In the early 17th century, shortly after the emergence of the g ...

'' (specialist in female roles) of today.

Lineage

Kan'ya was the fourteenth in the line of actors and theatre managers to hold the name Morita Kan'ya. Previous bearers of the name were managers (''zamoto'') of the

Morita-za {{Infobox Theatre , name = Morita-za森田座 , image = Stele of Morita-za site 02.jpg , caption = Stele of Saruwaka-machi Morita-za in Asakusa , address = , city = Edo , country = {{flagicon, Japa ...

kabuki theatre in

Edo Edo ( ja, , , "bay-entrance" or "estuary"), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a ''jōkamachi'' (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the ''de facto'' capital of ...

(later Tokyo) until 1894. Kan'ya was adopted by Morita Kan'ya XIII, and in turn was the adoptive father of Bandō Tamasaburō V.

Life and career

Kan'ya made his first appearance onstage at the age of seven, at the

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 ...

in Tokyo, under the stagename Bandō Tamasaburō IV. He would later take the name Bandō Shūka III and, following the death of his adoptive father in 1932, became Morita Kan'ya XIV in 1935. He was, like most kabuki actors, quite prolific, and for a number of years in the 1930s was a member of a group of young actors called "''Seinen Kabuki''" (Young men Kabuki) who performed regularly at the Shin Kabuki-za in Tokyo, then called the ''Shinjuku Daiichi Gekijō'' (First Shinjuku Theatre). In the early postwar years, Kan'ya acted in a number of films, including ''Surōnin Makaritōru'' (1947), ''Otomi to Yosaburō'' (1950), and ''Edo no Hanamichi'' (1953).守田勘弥
Japanese Movie Database (JMDB). Accessed 28 July 2008. Remaining quite active on the kabuki stage as well, Kan'ya performed in many revivals at the National Theatre, taking part as well in the Theatre's 1966 opening ceremonies and the associated performance of ''

Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami is a Japanese play that has been performed in bunraku and kabuki, and was jointly written by Takeda Izumo I, Takeda Izumo II, Namiki Sōsuke and Miyoshi Shōraku.Shōriya, Aragorō.Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami" ''Kabuki21.com''. Retrieved 4 Dec ...

''. He also often performed alongside his adopted son Bandō Tamasaburō V. Kan'ya made his last Tokyo stage appearance in December 1974, in a production of ''

Kanadehon Chūshingura is an 11-act bunraku puppet play composed in 1748. It is one of the most popular Japanese plays, ranked with Zeami's ''Matsukaze'', although the vivid action of Chūshingura differs dramatically from ''Matsukaze''. Medium During this portion of ...

'' at the National Theatre, and his final stage appearance the following month, at

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most pop ...

Chunichi Theatre was a venue for the performing arts in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. It closed on March 25, 2018. The theatre was located inside the Chunichi Building. Performances such as kabuki and musicals were shown there. See also *Aichi Arts Center ...

. He died on 28 March 1975.

References

Morita Kan'ya XIV
Kabuki21.com. Accessed 28 July 2008. {{DEFAULTSORT:Morita, Kanya 14 Kabuki actors People from Tokyo Male actors from Tokyo 1907 births 1975 deaths