Who has the final say on naming rights? Blood relatives, the de facto head of the family, the Ministry of Culture? Can an actor who knows he is dying put his name down in his will? All this also reminds me a lot of the sumo wrestlers' shikona dynamics
The blood relatives who own the rights to the name have much of the power in deciding who inherits it, but other senior-ranking actors, including the head of the family and/or the guild, as well as Shōchiku management, might also take part in the negotiations, particularly when it comes to the logistics of the ceremony. Thankfully nothing quite as kafkaesque as sumo's yokoshin and other advisory bodies, as far as I know!
I am enamored by the concept of taking on/inheriting new names throughout the life and career of an actor. Have there been any dramas made about the life of kabuki actors that explore the dynamics of the prestige that comes with names? I imagine there can be complex comeptition around that, seems like the sort of thing you could make an amazing movie or novel out of, examining Kabuki from behind the scenes and on a meta-textual level juxtaposing great kabuki plays with the lives of the men who perform them.
This video is one of the most important you've made to date, as it clearly explained how Kabuki names work. Congratulations! By the way, I have a question: are you aware that the shumei of the Narikomaya house is nearby? According to Nakamura Fukusuke IX (Future Nakamura Utaemon VII), after 10 long years, the shumei would be expected to occur between the second half of 2024 and the beginning of 2025, as his health condition has improved a lot. Are you aware of something?
I'm glad you enjoyed the video! Fukusuke seems very eager, but from the interviews I've read it is not clear to me that there are definite plans for the shūmei. Hopefully I'm wrong, and we can celebrate a large Narikomaya shūmei in the near future!
@@KabukiInDepth Thank you for your consideration, I am very happy. Now, I have a doubt that is more serious and delicate: you know that Kataoka Takatarō is the son of Kataoka Nizaemon XV and consequently the heir of the Matsushimaya house, right? But I was looking at some social networks and forums and many Kabuki fans questioned whether he would be the right person to inherit the name Kataoka Nizaemon. It's just that it seems that many people view him with suspicion, since he doesn't have the same level of fame and popularity as his father Nizaemon XV or his cousin Ainosuke VI. And sometimes it gives the impression that there is a reluctance to give him prominent roles because they think he doesn't stand out as much in Kabuki as his father or cousin. How do you see this serious issue involving Takatarō? Why hasn't Takataro gotten a prestigious role in Kabuki to this day?
I had the chance to watch him play Yukihime in Kinkaku-ji live. He was quite good, but I think overall he might lack some of the glamour and presence of other actors, such as Jakuemon, Shichinosuke or Kikunosuke, who are able to capture the audience in solo performances, or the next generation of onnagata, including Kazutarō, Kotarō or Baishi. Takatarō is brilliant on Kamigata roles, so I really hopes he finds a path forward. Watching him play Umegawa with his father in Fūin Giri is still one of my favourite memories of the kabuki stage.
Thank you for explaining everything so well. Have there been naming controversies in the past? Where maybe past over siblings or the public disagreed with the naming decisions?
Oh, definitely! For example, at the beginning of the XX century, Nakamura Shikan V (in Tokyo) and Nakamura Ganjirō I (in Osaka) both had a claim to the prestigious Utaemon name, and there was much controversy and animosity. In another example, Ichikawa Sanshō V, the son-in-law of Ichikawa Danjūrō IX, for a long time prevented the Danjūrō name to be passed to Ichikawa Danjūrō XI, because he wanted to himself (he was posthumously named Ichikawa Danjūrō X). There are plenty of similar examples as one learns more about kabuki history.
Fantastic video as always! I have a question unrelated to the subject of this video: do you know what theatres are expected to have kabuki programs in the fall other than the Kabuki-za? Of course, programs haven't been officially announced that far ahead yet, but is it likely that theatres like the Minami-za, Shinbashi Enbujo, etc. will have performances in September, October or November? I say this because I will be in Japan during that time and would like to have a general idea of what options for seeing Kabuki there will be.
There are already a bunch of shows scheduled: Danjūrō's tour (September), a Tamasaburō show in Kyoto (September), Danjūrō's Osaka shūmei (October), a Super Kabuki show in Fukuoka (October), and a Nakamuraya program at the Meiji-za in Tokyo (November). Good luck with the trip! Feel free to ask any questions, particularly as we get closer to the dates! Typically the tickets go on sale one month in advance.
@@KabukiInDepth@KabukiInDepth Thanks! It seems that the international version of the Shochiku website only has a small portion of the actual shows on it. I'm looking at the Japanese site, and it is much more detailed. I will let you know if I have any more questions :)
Where do you find those already scheduled performances such as Tamasaburō show and Nakamura-ya program? I've been browsing through the Internet and can't find anything 😅
@stanleygagner @minn7657 The best source in my opinion is this website: www.kabuki-bito.jp/schedule/ although it doesn't include some independent productions, including some actor's tours, or those related to the National Theatre. Once the dates get closer, you can find them on English here www.kabukiweb.net/ , with the same limitations as the other site.
Wonderful video! Even (English) Wikipedia does not have this much information as of yet.
thank you very much for these videos. they truly mean a lot to us westerners
Who has the final say on naming rights? Blood relatives, the de facto head of the family, the Ministry of Culture? Can an actor who knows he is dying put his name down in his will? All this also reminds me a lot of the sumo wrestlers' shikona dynamics
The blood relatives who own the rights to the name have much of the power in deciding who inherits it, but other senior-ranking actors, including the head of the family and/or the guild, as well as Shōchiku management, might also take part in the negotiations, particularly when it comes to the logistics of the ceremony. Thankfully nothing quite as kafkaesque as sumo's yokoshin and other advisory bodies, as far as I know!
I am enamored by the concept of taking on/inheriting new names throughout the life and career of an actor. Have there been any dramas made about the life of kabuki actors that explore the dynamics of the prestige that comes with names? I imagine there can be complex comeptition around that, seems like the sort of thing you could make an amazing movie or novel out of, examining Kabuki from behind the scenes and on a meta-textual level juxtaposing great kabuki plays with the lives of the men who perform them.
thank you for the video
This video is one of the most important you've made to date, as it clearly explained how Kabuki names work. Congratulations! By the way, I have a question: are you aware that the shumei of the Narikomaya house is nearby? According to Nakamura Fukusuke IX (Future Nakamura Utaemon VII), after 10 long years, the shumei would be expected to occur between the second half of 2024 and the beginning of 2025, as his health condition has improved a lot. Are you aware of something?
I'm glad you enjoyed the video! Fukusuke seems very eager, but from the interviews I've read it is not clear to me that there are definite plans for the shūmei. Hopefully I'm wrong, and we can celebrate a large Narikomaya shūmei in the near future!
@@KabukiInDepth Thank you for your consideration, I am very happy. Now, I have a doubt that is more serious and delicate: you know that Kataoka Takatarō is the son of Kataoka Nizaemon XV and consequently the heir of the Matsushimaya house, right? But I was looking at some social networks and forums and many Kabuki fans questioned whether he would be the right person to inherit the name Kataoka Nizaemon. It's just that it seems that many people view him with suspicion, since he doesn't have the same level of fame and popularity as his father Nizaemon XV or his cousin Ainosuke VI. And sometimes it gives the impression that there is a reluctance to give him prominent roles because they think he doesn't stand out as much in Kabuki as his father or cousin. How do you see this serious issue involving Takatarō? Why hasn't Takataro gotten a prestigious role in Kabuki to this day?
If that is true it would be fantastic!
I had the chance to watch him play Yukihime in Kinkaku-ji live. He was quite good, but I think overall he might lack some of the glamour and presence of other actors, such as Jakuemon, Shichinosuke or Kikunosuke, who are able to capture the audience in solo performances, or the next generation of onnagata, including Kazutarō, Kotarō or Baishi. Takatarō is brilliant on Kamigata roles, so I really hopes he finds a path forward. Watching him play Umegawa with his father in Fūin Giri is still one of my favourite memories of the kabuki stage.
Idk how it controls .
Thank you for explaining everything so well. Have there been naming controversies in the past? Where maybe past over siblings or the public disagreed with the naming decisions?
Oh, definitely! For example, at the beginning of the XX century, Nakamura Shikan V (in Tokyo) and Nakamura Ganjirō I (in Osaka) both had a claim to the prestigious Utaemon name, and there was much controversy and animosity. In another example, Ichikawa Sanshō V, the son-in-law of Ichikawa Danjūrō IX, for a long time prevented the Danjūrō name to be passed to Ichikawa Danjūrō XI, because he wanted to himself (he was posthumously named Ichikawa Danjūrō X). There are plenty of similar examples as one learns more about kabuki history.
He's a man, but he plays a woman very beautifully, and it's amazing.
Very informative!! What was that play with the blue kumadori actor with a dragon on his head?
Fantastic video as always! I have a question unrelated to the subject of this video: do you know what theatres are expected to have kabuki programs in the fall other than the Kabuki-za? Of course, programs haven't been officially announced that far ahead yet, but is it likely that theatres like the Minami-za, Shinbashi Enbujo, etc. will have performances in September, October or November? I say this because I will be in Japan during that time and would like to have a general idea of what options for seeing Kabuki there will be.
There are already a bunch of shows scheduled: Danjūrō's tour (September), a Tamasaburō show in Kyoto (September), Danjūrō's Osaka shūmei (October), a Super Kabuki show in Fukuoka (October), and a Nakamuraya program at the Meiji-za in Tokyo (November).
Good luck with the trip! Feel free to ask any questions, particularly as we get closer to the dates! Typically the tickets go on sale one month in advance.
@@KabukiInDepth@KabukiInDepth Thanks! It seems that the international version of the Shochiku website only has a small portion of the actual shows on it. I'm looking at the Japanese site, and it is much more detailed. I will let you know if I have any more questions :)
Where do you find those already scheduled performances such as Tamasaburō show and Nakamura-ya program? I've been browsing through the Internet and can't find anything 😅
@stanleygagner @minn7657 The best source in my opinion is this website: www.kabuki-bito.jp/schedule/ although it doesn't include some independent productions, including some actor's tours, or those related to the National Theatre. Once the dates get closer, you can find them on English here www.kabukiweb.net/ , with the same limitations as the other site.
@@KabukiInDepth Thank you so much! ☺️
The song?
どうして六月の中村万壽と中村時蔵の襲名公演は、独立な口上がなくて、演目の中で口上の形で襲名するのでしょうか？その原因は役者のレベルは（團十郎や雀右衛門や芝翫や幸四郎などに比べて）ちょっと低いでしょうか（坂東楽善と坂東彦三郎の襲名も演目の中で口上したのです）？