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was a Japanese
kabuki is a classical form of Theatre of Japan, Japanese theatre, mixing dramatic performance with Japanese traditional dance, traditional dance. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily stylised performances, its glamorous, highly decorated costumes ...
actor in the
Kamigata Kamigata (上方) was the colloquial term for a region today called Kansai region, Kansai (''kan'', barrier; ''sai'', west) in Japan. This large area encompasses the cities of Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe. The term was also sometimes used to refer only ...
style and was officially designated a Living National Treasure. Unlike most kabuki actors, he performed both male and female roles, and was renowned as both a skilled (actor of male roles in the tradition) and (actor of female roles). He was the fourth in the line of
Sakata Tōjūrō refers to a family of kabuki actors in Kyoto and OsakaNussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Sakata Tōjūrō''" in ; n.b., Louis-Frédéric is pseudonym of Louis-Frédéric Nussbaum, ''see'Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Authority File. and it is the ...
, having revived the name after a lapse of over 230 years.


Lineage

Though he bears no direct hereditary connection to the previous lineage of Sakata Tōjūrō which he has revived, Tōjūrō traced his line back several generations within the kabuki world. He is the eldest son of
Nakamura Ganjirō II was a Japanese kabuki and film actor. He appeared in more than 70 films between 1941 and 1980, directed by notable filmmakers such as Yasujirō Ozu, Kenji Mizoguchi, Akira Kurosawa, and Mikio Naruse. Lineage Born into a renowned Kabuki acting ...
, the grandson of Nakamura Ganjirō I, and the great-grandson of Nakamura Kanjaku III, who was adopted into the kabuki families by Nakamura Utaemon IV. Tōjūrō's sons Nakamura Ganjirō IV and Nakamura Senjaku III perform as kabuki actors, as do his grandsons Nakamura Kazutarō and Nakamura Toranosuke.


Early life and career

Tōjūrō was born on
New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve refers to the evening, or commonly the entire day, of the last day of the year, 31 December, also known as Old Year's Day. In many countries, New Year's Eve is celebrated with dancing, eating, drinkin ...
1931, the eldest son of actor Nakamura Ganjirō II. He made his first appearance on stage in October 1941, under the name Nakamura Senjaku II, at the Kado-za in dotonbori Osaka, in the play ''Komochi Yamanba''. Throughout his career, Tojuro IV has performed primarily in
Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...
, performing in both traditional pieces which have long been in the repertoire, and in new kabuki works, primarily by playwright Nobuo Uno. He also frequently took part in revival performances in
Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
of works by the great
bunraku is a form of traditional Japanese puppet theatre, founded in Osaka in the beginning of the 17th century, which is still performed in the modern day. Three kinds of performers take part in a performance: the or (puppeteers), the (chanters) ...
(puppet theatre) playwright
Chikamatsu Monzaemon , real name , was a Japanese dramatist of jōruri, the form of puppet theater that later came to be known as bunraku, and the live-actor drama, kabuki. The ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' has written that he is "widely regarded as the greatest Jap ...
. Tōjūrō acted in the first performance of "
The Love Suicides at Sonezaki ''The Love Suicides at Sonezaki'' (曾根崎心中, ''Sonezaki Shinjū'') is a jōruri play by the Japanese playwright Chikamatsu Monzaemon. The double suicides that occurred on May 22, 1703, inspired Chikamatsu to write this play and thus ''Th ...
" (''Sonezaki Shinjū''), one of the playwright's most famous works, since the end of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
at the
Shinbashi Enbujō The is a theatre in the Ginza neighborhood of Tokyo, Japan. It is a major kabuki venue, though other types of performances take place there as well. History The theatre was originally built in 1925 to provide a venue for the ''Azuma Odori'' geis ...
in 1953. In February 1955, Tojuro IV left
Shochiku is a Japanese entertainment company. Founded in 1895, it initially managed '' kabuki'' theaters in Kyoto; in 1914, it also acquired ownership of the Kabuki-za theater in Tokyo. In 1920, Shochiku entered the film production industry and establis ...
and became an exclusive actor for
Hankyu Corporation , trading as , is a Japanese private railway company that provides commuter and interurban service to the northern Kansai region. It is one of the flagship properties of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Inc., in turn part of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Gr ...
and Takarazuka Film Productions, a subsidiary of
Toho is a Japanese entertainment company that primarily engages in producing and distributing films and exhibiting stage plays. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. ...
. In March 1963, Tojuro IV returned to
Shochiku is a Japanese entertainment company. Founded in 1895, it initially managed '' kabuki'' theaters in Kyoto; in 1914, it also acquired ownership of the Kabuki-za theater in Tokyo. In 1920, Shochiku entered the film production industry and establis ...
and resumed his activities as a
kabuki is a classical form of Theatre of Japan, Japanese theatre, mixing dramatic performance with Japanese traditional dance, traditional dance. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily stylised performances, its glamorous, highly decorated costumes ...
actor. The playwright's 250th memorial service was observed with the revival of ''Horikawa Nami no Tsuzumi'' in 1973. In 1982, Senjaku founded the Chikamatsu-za, a traveling troupe devoted to performing and reviving Chikamatsu's works. These tours have taken him to many cities across Japan, as well as to
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
, the US,
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
, and elsewhere. On these tours he not performed, but gave lectures and cultural workshops as well. The tours frequently feature "
The Love Suicides at Amijima ''The Love Suicides at Amijima'' (''Shinjū Ten no Amijima'' or ''Shinjūten no Amijima'' 心中天の網島) is a domestic play ('' sewamono'') by Japanese playwright Chikamatsu Monzaemon. Originally written for the ''bunraku'' puppet theatre, ...
" (''Amijima Shinjū''), and sometimes feature revivals of plays not performed for centuries. The 1998 tour saw the revival of ''Keisei Mibu Dainenbutsu'' which had not been performed since 1702. Senjaku inherited his father's name and he became Nakamura Ganjirō III in November 1990, in a ''
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 stage names, most often those of the actor's father, gr ...
'' ceremony 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 o ...
in Tokyo. Ganjirō was then named a Living National Treasure (人間国宝, ''ningen kokuhō'') in 1994. He took the name as Sakata Tōjūrō in December 2005. He adopted this new name at the
Minami-za is the primary kabuki theatre in Kyoto, Japan. It was founded in 1610 as . The current building, with a 1,086 seat capacity, was built in 1929. History The Minami-za is one of the earliest of the seven officially-licensed kabuki theatres built i ...
in Kyoto. His goal was reviving the lineage which had died out over 230 years prior, with the death of Sakata Tōjūrō III in 1774. He sought to not only honor the memory of the line of Sakata Tōjūrō before him, who pioneered, developed, and maintained the Kamigata (
Kansai The or the lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo and Shiga, often also Mie, sometimes Fukui, Tokushima and Tottori. The metropoli ...
) kabuki tradition, but also as part of an effort to revive and maintain that tradition himself. He is thus, like the other Tōjūrō before him, seen as a symbol of the Kamigata tradition, and as the top actor in that tradition. In addition to performing, Tōjūrō oversaw and participated in a number of cultural programs to help encourage interest in kabuki, and to maintain the Kamigata tradition. His September 2007 tour took him to
Guangzhou Guangzhou, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Canton or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, southern China. Located on the Pearl River about nor ...
,
Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...
,
Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...
, and
Hangzhou Hangzhou, , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ; formerly romanized as Hangchow is a sub-provincial city in East China and the capital of Zhejiang province. With a population of 13 million, the municipality comprises ten districts, two counti ...
. In December of that year, he celebrated his 77th birthday (a special birthday in Japan) with a performance of '' Musume Dōjōji''. In December 2019 just one year before his death, his last stage performance was at the
Kyoto Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...
Minamiza Theater as Keijuinni in '' Gion Festival Faith Record Kinkakuji''.


Personal life

In October 1958, Tojuro IV married to an actress and politician
Chikage Oogi , real name (born ; 10 May 1933 – 9 March 2023), was a Japanese actress and politician. During her 30-year-long political career, she served in various important governmental posts, and became the first female President of the House of Council ...
. They had two sons, Tomotaro (b. 6 February 1959) and Hirotaro (b. 19 December 1960), who are both
kabuki is a classical form of Theatre of Japan, Japanese theatre, mixing dramatic performance with Japanese traditional dance, traditional dance. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily stylised performances, its glamorous, highly decorated costumes ...
actors, following in their father's path. His two grandsons, Kazutarō and Toranosuke, who are also both kabuki actors.


Death

Tōjūrō IV died of
natural causes In many legal jurisdictions, the manner of death is a determination, typically made by the coroner, medical examiner, police, or similar officials, and recorded as a vital statistic. Within the United States and the United Kingdom, a distinc ...
in hospital in Tokyo on 12 November 2020, at the age of 88. His death was unrelated to COVID-19.


Selected works

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WorldCat WorldCat is a union catalog that itemizes the collections of tens of thousands of institutions (mostly libraries), in many countries, that are current or past members of the OCLC global cooperative. It is operated by OCLC, Inc. Many of the O ...
lists roughly 30+ works by and about Sakata Tōjūrō IVin 30+ publications in 2 languages and 170+ library holdings . * 近松劇への招待 : 舞台づくりと歌舞伎考 (1989) with Koshirō Uno; * 通し狂言宿無団七時雨の傘 : 三幕六場 (1992) with Shōzō Namiki and Ginsaku Tobe * 一生青春 (1997) with Michiko Toki * 雁治郎芸談 by 中村雁治郎 (2000) Kiyoshi Mizuochi * 恋飛脚大和往来. 封印切 : 一幕 (2000) with Mansaku Tatsuoka * 加賀見山旧錦絵: 通し狂言: 四幕七場 (2004) with Yōtai Yō and Shōichi Yamada * 坂田藤十郎 : 歌舞伎の真髄を生きる (2006)


Honors

* 1990 – Medal with Purple Ribbon * 1994 – Living National Treasure * 2003 –
Person of Cultural Merit is an official Japanese recognition and honour which is awarded annually to select people who have made outstanding cultural contributions. This distinction is intended to play a role as a part of a system of support measures for the promotion of ...
* 2006 –
Osaka Culture Prize The is an annual award presented by the Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List ...
Cultural Transmission Prize * 2008 –
Praemium Imperiale Prince Takamatsu The Praemium Imperiale () is an international art prize inaugurated in 1988 and awarded since 1989 by the Imperial family of Japan on behalf of the Japan Art Association in the fields of painting, sculpture, architecture, mu ...
* 2009 –
Order of Culture The is a Japanese Order (decoration), order, established on February 11, 1937. The order has one class only, and may be awarded to men and women for contributions to Japanese Art, Japan's art, Japanese Literature, literature, science, technolog ...
"Emperor awards decoration to Russian Japanese art expert,"
''Mainichi Shimbun.'' November 4, 2009.


See also

*
Nakamura Kanzaburō Nakamura Kanzaburō is a stage name taken on by a series of Kabuki actors of the Nakamura family. Most of these were blood relatives, though some were adopted into the family. Kanzaburō, like other actors' names, is bestowed (or given up) at gran ...


Notes


References

* . (2008). . Tokyo: . * Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005)
''Japan encyclopedia.''
Cambridge:
Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) is an academic publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University. It is a member of the Association of University Presses. Its director since 2017 is George Andreou. The pres ...
.
OCLC 58053128


External links


Sakata Tōjūrō IV
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sakata, Tojuro 4 1931 births Hayashi family Kabuki actors Kaneru yakusha 2020 deaths Male actors from Kyoto Living National Treasures of Japan Narikomaya Spouses of Japanese politicians Recipients of the Medal with Purple Ribbon Persons of Cultural Merit Recipients of the Order of Culture Recipients of the Praemium Imperiale Yamashiroya