A ''zamoto'' (座元) is a manager of a

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 ...

theatre. Historically, the zamoto owned the

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

and was responsible for obtaining performance rights from the ''

shōgun , officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamakur ...

''.''Japan Quarterly'', 1969, p. 302 (Asahi Shinbunsha) Typically the zamoto was often the latest son of the hereditary owners, such as at the

Nakamura-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 ...

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 ...

and

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 ...

References

Kabuki {{theatre-stub