, was a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

active in

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 ...

, other forms of live

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

and

commercials A television advertisement (also called a commercial, spot, break, advert, or ad) is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization. It conveys a message promoting, and aiming to market, a product, service or idea. ...

. Kanzaburō was a versatile actor whose credits include

farce Farce is a comedy that seeks to entertain an audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, ridiculous, absurd, and improbable. Farce is also characterized by heavy use of physical comedy, physical humor; the use of delibe ...

period piece Period may refer to: Common uses * Period (punctuation) * Era, a length or span of time *Menstruation, commonly referred to as a "period" Arts, entertainment, and media * Period (music), a concept in musical composition * Periodic sentence (or r ...

s and Shin Kabuki.

Lineage

Kanzaburō was the eighteenth in the line of

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 ...

, his father the seventeenth. Kanzaburō actually traced his ancestry within the Nakamuraya kabuki guild back to his great-great-great grandfathers, if not further. Both his grandfathers were kabuki actors, as were their fathers. Kanzaburō was the younger brother of film actress

Kuriko Namino (born December 1, 1945, in Kamakura, Japan) is an actress. Her brother Nakamura Kanzaburō XVIII was an actor in kabuki, theatre, television and commercials. Filmography Film *''By Player'' (2000) Television *'' Akō Rōshi'' (1964) *''Minamot ...

. With his wife Yoshie, he had two sons,

Nakamura Kankurō VI is a Japanese kabuki and film and television actor. Born , he is a ''tachiyaku'' actor (kabuki actor who plays male roles) like his father Nakamura Kanzaburō XVIII and his younger brother Nakamura Shichinosuke II. Names and lineage Kankurō ...

and Nakamura Shichinosuke II. Both perform kabuki, and in other venues.

Life and career

He made his debut under the name Nakamura Kankurō V in April 1959 in the role of Momotaro. His kabuki credits under that name include roles in '' Kagami-jishi'', '' Kamiyui Shinza'' and ''

Yotsuya Kaidan , the story of Oiwa and Tamiya Iemon, is a tale of betrayal, murder and onryou, ghostly revenge. Arguably the most famous Kaidan (parapsychology), Japanese ghost story of all time, it has been adapted for film over 30 times and continues to be ...

''. In addition to performing 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 ...

and other kabuki venues, Kankurō helped establish the , a temporary kabuki stage erected for only one set of performances, in a variety of locations. He erected it, and performed on it, in

Asakusa is a district in Taitō, Tokyo, Japan. It is known for Sensō-ji, a Buddhist temple dedicated to the bodhisattva Kannon. There are several other temples in Asakusa, as well as various festivals, such as . History The development of Asaku ...

(Tokyo), Osaka, and, in 2004, on a US tour, performing in Boston, New York, and Washington DC. The Heisei Nakamura-za performed again in New York and Washington in 2007. He made his film debut at age four in '' Thus Another Day'' (1959), which also starred his father. Noteworthy television roles include

Imagawa Yoshimoto was a Japanese ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the Sengoku period. Based in Suruga Province, he was known as ; he was one of the three ''daimyō'' that dominated the Tōkaidō region. He died in 1560 while marching to Kyoto to become Shogun. He ...

in the 1988

Taiga drama is the name NHK gives to the annual year-long historical drama television series it broadcasts in Japan. Beginning in 1963 with the black-and-white ''Hana no Shōgai'', starring kabuki actor Onoe Shoroku II and Awashima Chikage, the network regul ...

Takeda Shingen was daimyō, daimyo of Kai Province during the Sengoku period of Japan. Known as "the Tiger of Kai", he was one of the most powerful daimyo of the late Sengoku period, and credited with exceptional military prestige. Shingen was based in a p ...

'', Oishi Kuranosuke in the 1999 Taiga drama '' Genroku Ryoran'', Terumasa Ikeda in ''武蔵 MUSASHI'' (2003), and a TBS special ''Koyoi wa KANKURO''. Commercial endorsements include Contac,

Japan Post was a Japanese statutory corporation that existed from 2003 to 2007, offering postal and package delivery services, Retail banking, banking services, and life insurance. It is the nation's largest employer, with over 400,000 employees, and ru ...

, JT,

Suntory (commonly referred to as simply Suntory) is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational brewing and distilling company group. Established in 1899, it is one of the oldest companies in the distribution of alcoholic beverages in Japan, and ...

and Tokyo Mitsubishi Bank. He took the name Kanzaburō at 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 ...

'' on March 3, 2005.

Illness and death

In June 2011, Kanzaburō revealed to the public that he was suffering from esophageal cancer, and was receiving treatment. On December 5, 2012, Kanzaburō died from

acute respiratory distress Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a type of respiratory failure characterized by rapid onset of widespread inflammation in the lungs. Symptoms include shortness of breath (dyspnea), tachypnea, rapid breathing (tachypnea), and cyano ...

, four months before the

re-opened in Tokyo.

Awards and honors

* 2002 Golden Arrow Award * 2004

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 ...

* 2008

Medal of Honor with purple ribbon are medals awarded by the Emperor of Japan. They are awarded to individuals who have done meritorious deeds and also to those who have achieved excellence in their field of work. The Medals of Honor were established on December 7, 1881, and were ...

* 2012 Order of the Rising Sun, 3rd Class, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon (posthumous)

Notes

References

Nakamura Kanzaburō XVIII at Kabuki21.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nakamura, Kanzaburo 18 Kabuki actors Kaneru yakusha Male actors from Tokyo Nakamuraya Namino family 1955 births 2012 deaths Deaths from respiratory failure Taiga drama lead actors 20th-century Japanese male actors 21st-century Japanese male actors