Bandō Mitsugorō VIII

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Bandō Mitsugorō VIII 八代目坂東三津五郎

Born	19 October 1906 Tokyo, Japan
Died	16 January 1975 Kyoto, Japan
Other name(s)	Bandō Yososuke III, Bandō Minosuke VI, Yamatoya

Bandō Mitsugorō VIII^[1](八代目坂東三津五郎)(19 October 1906 - 16 January 1975) was one of Japan's most revered Kabuki actors from the 1930s until his death. He was a renowned tachiyaku and katakiyaku, specializing in particular in the aragoto style. He was officially designated as a "living national treasure" by the Japanese government in 1973.

For all his fame during his life, Bandō is probably best-known for his legendary death. At age 68, he visited a Kyoto restaurant with friends and ordered four livers of the fugu fish, which is widely-known to be extremely toxic. Claiming that he could survive their poisons, he ate the livers and, within minutes, died of paralysis and convulsions.

[edit] Lineage

Eighth in the line of Bandō Mitsugorō, he was adopted by Bandō Mitsugorō VII; his son and grandson would go on to take the name as well, becoming ninth and tenth in the line respectively.

[edit] Life & Career

Bandō made his stage debut at the age of 7, in 1913, as Bandō Yosouke III. He would take the name Minosuke VI in 1928, at the Meiji-za theatre. He later tried to adapt The Tale of Genji to the stage, but was prohibited from doing so by the authorities. After a few years in a kabuki troupe run by the Tōhō company, he moved to Kansai; he lived there for nearly twenty years, performing in Osaka and other venues, and taking part in the final performances at the Ōsaka Kabuki-za, which closed and became a department store in 1958.

In 1962, following his return to Tokyo, and the death of his adopted father Bandō Mitsugorō VII, Bandō celebrated a shūmei (naming ceremony) alongside his son and grandson, and took the name Mitsugorō VIII. Four years later, he performed at the opening ceremonies for Tokyo's National Theater.

He performed as Kakogawa Honzō in Kanadehon Chūshingura (the Tale of the 47 Ronin) in December 1974, at the National Theater. This was among his final performances, as he died the following month, on January 16, just minutes after eating fugu liver. The chef who prepared the order is said to have claimed to be unable to refuse such a famous actor; his fugu license was nevertheless revoked.