Ichikawa Danjūrō

In this Japanese name, the family name is "Ichikawa".

Ichikawa Danjūrō (市川 團十郎?) is a stage name taken on by a series of Kabuki actors of the Ichikawa family. Most of these were blood relatives, though some were adopted into the family. It is a famous and important name, and receiving it is an honor. There are a number of roles that the line of Danjūrō specialize in, as well as a series of plays, the Kabuki Jūhachiban (The Kabuki Eighteen), which showcase the specialties of the Ichikawa family.

Danjūrō, like other actors' names, is bestowed (or given up) at grand naming ceremonies called shūmei in which a number of actors formally change their names. The name Danjūrō is generally taken at the peak of an actor's career; another name may be taken after retirement. Prior to taking the name Danjūrō, an actor frequently had the names Matsumoto Kōshirō, Ichikawa Shinnosuke, or Ichikawa Ebizō.

The design of the Ichikawa family mon, three squares nested inside one another, is called mimasu or sanshō (三升?). Some of the actors in this line used "Sanshō" as their haimyō, a nickname or alias used in poetry circles.

Contents

Lineage

Note

  1. ^ Note: the dates given here do not represent the birth/death dates of the actor; rather, they indicate the period during which the actor held the name Danjūrō.
  2. ^ Note: though this would be "Ebizō" in modern revised Japanese, it was written with different characters, as ゑび蔵, and thus is considered a separate name. See Historical kana usage.
  3. ^ Fitzwilliam Museum: contemporary image of Danjūrō VII (1819)
  4. ^ Fitzwilliam Museum; contemporary image of Danjūrō VIII (c. 1836)

See also

References

External links