is 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, one of the most popular ''tachiyaku'' (specialist in male roles) currently performing. Like many members of the kabuki community, he can trace his lineage back several generations, many members of his family being kabuki actors as well. His father and grandfather were the eighth and seventh, respectively, to hold the name of

Matsumoto Kōshirō is the stage name of a line of kabuki actors in Japan. Most of these were blood relatives, though some were adopted into the family. Kōshirō, like other actors' names, is bestowed (or given up) at grand naming ceremonies called ''shūmei'' in ...

, and he traces his lineage back to his great-great-grandfather Nakamura Karoku I, if not further. Kōshirō's brother, Nakamura Kichiemon II, son

Matsumoto Koshirō X Matsumoto (松本 or 松元, "base of the pine tree") may refer to: Places * Matsumoto, Nagano (松本市), a city ** Matsumoto Airport, an airport southwest of Matsumoto, Nagano * Matsumoto, Kagoshima (松元町), a former town now part of the c ...

and grandson Ichikawa Somegorō VIII are active in the kabuki theater as well, and his daughter,

Takako Matsu (born on June 10, 1977) is a Japanese actress and pop singer. Personal life Matsu was born to a family of buyō and kabuki actors, including her father Matsumoto Hakuō II, her mother and businesswoman Noriko Fujima, her uncle, Nakamura ...

is an experienced film actress. In addition, Kōshirō has a number of disciples, including Matsumoto Kingo III, Matsumoto Kōemon I, and Ichikawa Komazō XI.

Life and career

He made his stage debut in 1945, at the age of three, under the name Matsumoto Kintarō II, and took the name Ichikawa Somegorō VI four years later. He succeeded his father to the name Matsumoto Kōshirō in 1981. A graduate of

Waseda University Waseda University (Japanese: ), abbreviated as or , is a private university, private research university in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Founded in 1882 as the Tōkyō Professional School by Ōkuma Shigenobu, the fifth Prime Minister of Japan, prime ministe ...

, and a versatile actor, Kōshirō IX has performed extensively not only in kabuki, but in Western stage plays, film, and television. He has played, among many other roles,

Benkei , popularly known by the mononym Benkei (), was a Japanese warrior monk (''sōhei'') who lived in the latter years of the Heian Period (794–1185). Benkei led a varied life, first becoming a monk, then a mountain ascetic, and then a rogue war ...

in ''

Kanjinchō ''Kanjinchō'' (勧進帳, ''The Subscription List'') is a kabuki dance-drama by Namiki Gohei III, based on the Noh play '' Ataka''. It is one of the most popular plays in the modern kabuki repertory. Belonging to the repertories of the Narita ...

'', Kōchiyama Sōshun in '' Kōchiyama'', Kumagai Jirō Naozane in '' Kumagai Jinya'', and Matsuōmaru in '' Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami''. In 1970, Kōshirō appeared in the lead role in ''

Man of La Mancha ''Man of La Mancha'' is a 1965 musical with a book by Dale Wasserman, music by Mitch Leigh, and lyrics by Joe Darion. It is adapted from Wasserman's non-musical 1959 teleplay '' I, Don Quixote'', which was in turn inspired by Miguel de Cervan ...

'' on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. Also, he has appeared as the King of Siam in ''

The King and I ''The King and I'' is the fifth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on Margaret Landon's novel '' Anna and the King of Siam'' (1944), which is in turn derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the childr ...

'' in the West End in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. Other stage roles have included Motl in ''

Fiddler on the Roof ''Fiddler on the Roof'' is a musical theatre, musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and musical theatre#Book musicals, book by Joseph Stein, set in the Pale of Settlement of Russian Empire, Imperial Russia in or around 19 ...

'', the title role in ''

Sweeney Todd Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as the villain of the penny dreadful serial '' The String of Pearls'' (1846–1847). The original tale became a feature of 19th-century melodrama and London legend. A barber from Fleet St ...

'', Salieri in ''

Amadeus Amadeus may refer to: People and fictional characters * Amadeus (name) Amadeus is a theophoric name, theophoric given name derived from the Latin words ' – the Imperative mood, imperative of the word ' ("to love") – and ' ("god"). As a Compou ...

'',

Kitagawa Utamaro was a Japanese artist. He is one of the most highly regarded designers of ukiyo-e woodblock prints and paintings, and is best known for his ''Bijin-ga, bijin ōkubi-e'' "large-headed pictures of beautiful women" of the 1790s. He also produ ...

in the musical ''Utamaro'', and

Zeami Motokiyo , also called , was a Japanese aesthetician, actor, and playwright. His father, Kan'ami Kiyotsugu, introduced him to Noh theater performance at a young age, and found that he was a skilled actor. Kan'ami was also skilled in acting and formed a ...

in ''Musical Zeami''.

Filmography

Film

*''

Whirlwind A whirlwind is a phenomenon in which a vortex of wind (a vertically oriented rotating column of air) forms due to instabilities and turbulence created by heating and flow ( current) gradients. Whirlwinds can vary in size and last from a cou ...

'' (1964) – Jūbei *''

Nichiren was a Japanese Buddhist priest and philosopher of the Kamakura period. His teachings form the basis of Nichiren Buddhism, a unique branch of Japanese Mahayana Buddhism based on the '' Lotus Sutra''. Nichiren declared that the '' Lotus Sutra ...

'' (1979) –

Hōjō Tokiyori was the fifth shikken (regent of shogun) of the Kamakura shogunate in Japan. Early life He was born to warrior monk Hōjō Tokiuji and a daughter of Adachi Kagemori, younger brother of Hōjō Tsunetoki, the fourth shikken, and grandson of ...

*''

Final Take is a 1986 Japanese drama film directed by Yoji Yamada. It was Japan's submission to the 59th Academy Awards for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, but was not accepted as a nominee. Cast * Kiyoshi Atsumi as Kihachi * Kiichi Nak ...

'' (1986) – Shirota *''

April Story ''April Story'' () is a Japanese film directed by Shunji Iwai starring Takako Matsu. Plot Uzuki Nireno, a shy girl from Asahikawa, a city in northern Hokkaidō, leaves her family for Musashino University in Tokyo. However, she finds herself l ...

'' (1998) – Uzuki's father *'' 13 Assassins'' (2010) – Makino Yukie *'' Tenchi: The Samurai Astronomer'' (2012) –

Hoshina Masayuki was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the early Edo period, who was the founder of what became the Matsudaira clan, Matsudaira house of Aizu. He was an important figure in the politics and philosophy of the early Tokugawa shogunate. Biography Hoshina ...

*''

Suzume is a 2022 Japanese animated coming-of-age fantasy adventure film written and directed by Makoto Shinkai. The film follows 17-year-old high school girl Suzume Iwato and young stranger Souta Munakata, who team up to prevent a series of disaster ...

'' (2022) – Hitsujirō Munakata (voice)

Television

*''

Ōgon no Hibi is a 1978 Japanese television series. It is the 16th NHK ''taiga'' drama, and is based on Saburo Shiroyama's novel of the same title. The series is the first ''taiga'' drama to focus on the lives of commoners and merchants, and the first ''taiga ...

'' (1978) –

Luzon Sukezaemon (b. 1565?) was a Japanese merchant from the port of Sakai, who traded '' shimamono'' pottery in Japan from Luzon in the Philippines and later emigrated to Cambodia in the final years of the 16th century. Biography Originally known as Naya Suk ...

*''

Sanga Moyu ''Sanga Moyu'' (山河燃ゆ) is a Japanese television drama based on the 1983 novel ''Futatsu no Sokoku'' (二つの祖国) by Toyoko Yamazaki. It was NHK's taiga drama in 1984. Synopsis The Amo family lives in Los Angeles, California. Two of ...

'' (1984) – Kenji Amō *''

Hana no Ran was the 33rd Taiga drama to be broadcast on the NHK network in Japan. It premiered on 3 April 1994 and its finale aired on 25 December of the same year. Plot The story takes place during the Muromachi period of Japan, in the midst of the Ōnin ...

'' (1994) –

Shuten-dōji Shuten-dōji (, also sometimes called , or ) is a mythical ''oni'' or demon leader of Japan, who according to legend was killed by the hero Minamoto no Yorimitsu, Minamoto no Raikō. Although decapitated, the demon's detached head still took a bi ...

*''

Furuhata Ninzaburō is a Japanese television series that ran periodically on Fuji Television from 1994 until its final episodes (specials) in 2006. It was written by Japanese playwright Kōki Mitani and is often referred to as the Japanese version of ''Columbo''. ...

Special''(2004) - His Excellency Ambassador Takechiyo Mayuzumi *''

Sanada Maru The was a small fortification attached to Osaka castle. It is famous for being impregnable and playing a key role in defending the castle in the winter of 1615. Later, it was forcefully destroyed despite being exempt from the reconciliation con ...

'' (2016) – Luzon Sukezaemon

Japanese dub

*''

The Jungle Book ''The Jungle Book'' is an 1894 collection of stories by the English author Rudyard Kipling. Most of the characters are animals such as Shere Khan the tiger and Baloo the bear, though a principal character is the boy or "man-cub" Mowgli, who ...

'' (2016) –

Baloo Baloo (from ''bhālū'' "bear") is a main fictional character featured in Rudyard Kipling's '' The Jungle Book'' from 1894 and '' The Second Jungle Book'' from 1895. Baloo, a sloth bear, is the strict teacher of the cubs of the Seeonee wolf pa ...

(voice-over for

Bill Murray William James Murray (born September 21, 1950) is an American actor and comedian, known for his deadpan delivery in roles ranging from studio comedies to independent dramas. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Bill Murra ...

)

Honors

Kikuchi Kan Prize The honors achievement in all aspects of Japanese literary culture. It was named in honor of Kikuchi Kan. The prize is presented annually by the literary magazine '' Bungei Shunjū'' and the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Literature. Histo ...

(2002) *

Japan Art Academy is the highest-ranking official artistic organization in Japan. It is established as an extraordinary organ of the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs (文化庁, Bunkacho) in the thirty-first article of the law establishing the Ministry of ...

(2002) * Medal with Purple Ribbon (2005) *

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 ...

(2012) *

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 ...

(2022)

Notes

External links

*Jumonji, Bishin. ''Koshiro Matsumoto.'' Tokyo: Purejidento, 2002. . A collection of photographs by Jumonji.
Matsumoto Kōshirō IX at Kabuki21.com
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Matsumoto, Hakuo 02 Kabuki actors 1942 births Fujima family Kōraiya Living people Male actors from Tokyo Namino family Tachiyaku actors Taiga drama lead actors Persons of Cultural Merit Recipients of the Order of Culture Waseda University alumni