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, the first and among the most famous ''kaneru yakusha'', a type of actor who performs a wide variety of roles. This is in contrast to the vast majority of kabuki actors, who specialize in only playing women, heroes, villains, or other particular types of roles. Kikugorō was close friends with the playwright Tsuruya Nanboku IV, who wrote the role of Oiwa, in the play '' Tōkaidō Yotsuya Kaidan'', specifically for him.

Names and lineage

Like most kabuki actors, Kikugorō went by a number of different stage names over the course of his career. He debuted as Onoe Eizaburō I, and spent time as Ōgawa Hashizō I, Onoe Baikō III, and Onoe Matsusuke II, before taking the name Onoe Kikugorō in 1815. He also used the poetry names ('' haimyō'') Baiju, Gachō, Sanchō, and Baikō. Kikugorō was adopted into the kabuki world by Onoe Shōroku I. He had three sons, Onoe Matsusuke III, Onoe Eizaburō IV, and Onoe Kikunosuke, and a grandson, Onoe Kikugorō V. Onoe Kikugorō IV and Ichimura Uzaemon XII were his sons-in-law.

Career

Kikugorō made his debut on stage at the age of four in 1789, as Onoe Eizaburō I. By 1810, he had already become acquainted with Tsuruya Nanboku IV, and had seen his first son's stage debut. Over the course of his career, he would develop a strong relationship with the playwright, performing in many of his productions, often alongside his own sons. Taking part in a number of ''

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 ...

'' naming ceremonies alongside his sons, the actor went through several different names, often passing them on to his sons, and finally taking the name Kikugorō III in 1815. Kikugorō played the lead role of Oiwa, wife of Iemon, in the 1825 premiere of the now-famous ghost play ''Tōkaidō Yotsuya Kaidan''; the role was written specifically for him by his playwright friend. Among his many roles over his career were those of Ōboshi Yuranosuke, Kō no Moronao and Tonase in '' Kanadeon Chūshingura'',

Sugawara no Michizane , or , was a scholar, poet, and politician of the Heian period of Japan. He is regarded as an excellent poet, particularly in '' waka'' and '' kanshi'' poetry, and is today revered in Shinto as the god of learning, . In the famed poem anthology ' ...

in '' Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami'', and

Shizuka Gozen Shizuka GozenNote: ''Gozen'' is not a name, but rather an honorific title, usually translated as "Lady", though the title was bestowed upon men on rare occasions as well. (静御前) (1165–1211), or Lady Shizuka, one of the most famous women in ...

and Itami Gonta in ''

Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura ''Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura'' (義経千本桜), or ''Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees'', is a Japanese play, one of the three most popular and famous in the kabuki repertoire. Originally written in 1747 for the bunraku, jōruri puppet the ...

''. His rivalry with fellow actor Ichikawa Danjūrō VII added to the excitement and appeal of their many performances together. He entered retirement in September 1847, after a final performance at the

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 ...

, in a program called "''Onoe Baiju Ichidai Banashi''" after him. In his retirement, he took on the name Kikuya Manbei, and ran a ''

mochi A mochi ( ; Japanese ) is a Japanese rice cake made of , a short-grain Japonica rice, japonica glutinous rice, and sometimes other ingredients such as water, sugar, and cornstarch. The steamed rice is pounded into paste and molded into the ...

'' shop called the Kiku-ya. Kikugorō returned to the stage, however, the following year, performing under the stage name Ōgawa Hashizō I, in

Edo Edo (), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the '' de facto'' capital of Japan from 1603 as the seat of the Tokugawa shogu ...

and on a short tour in

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region of Japan. It is the list of cities in Japan, fourth-most populous city in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020, and the principal city of the Chūkyō metropolitan area, which is the List of ...

. Settling 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 ...

towards the end of 1848, he fell ill the following year and died at the

Kakegawa is a city in western Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 117,925 in 45,519 households. The total area of the city is . Geography Kakegawa is in the coastal plains of southwest Shizuoka Prefecture. It is border ...

station on the Tōkaidō post road.

In popular culture

* In the 2024 film ''Hakkenden: Fiction And Reality'', Kikugorō III is played by popular Kabuki actor Onoe Ukon II (who is Kikugorō III's great-great-great-great-grandson in real life). In the film, Kikugorō III (played by Ukon II) appears playing two of the most famous and prestigious roles in Kabuki theater: the ''

onnagata , also , are male actors who play female roles in kabuki theatre. It originated in 1629 after women were banned from performing in kabuki performances. There are many specific techniques that actors must learn to master the role of ''onnagata'' ...

'' role of Oiwa from ''

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 ...

'' and the ''

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, ...

'' role of Ōboshi Yuranosuke from ''

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

''.

References

Onoe Kikugorō III at Kabuki21.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Onoe Kikugoro 3 Kabuki actors Kaneru yakusha 1784 births 1849 deaths People from Tokyo Metropolis Male actors from Tokyo Otowaya 18th-century Japanese male actors 19th-century Japanese male actors