Bandō Minosuke II (二代目 坂東 巳之助, Nidaime Bandō Minosuke; born 16 September 1989, in Tokyo) is a Japanese actor, kabuki…Bandō Minosuke II (二代目 坂東 巳之助, Nidaime Bandō Minosuke; born 16 September 1989, in Tokyo) is a Japanese actor, kabuki actor, and the leading bassist of buyō Bandō-ryū. His real name is Mitsuhisa Morita (守田 光寿, Morita Mitsuhisa). He is the current and second holder of the Kabuki name "Bandō Minosuke". Yamatoya is his yagō and Mitsudai is his family crest. He is represented by the Horipro Booking Agency.
Nakamura Shichinosuke II (二代目 中村 七之助, Nidaime Nakamura Shichinosuke) (born May 18, 1983) is a Japanese Kabuki, theatre…Nakamura Shichinosuke II (二代目 中村 七之助, Nidaime Nakamura Shichinosuke) (born May 18, 1983) is a Japanese Kabuki, theatre, TV, and film actor. He was born Takayuki Namino (波野 隆行, Namino Takayuki), the second son of famed Kabuki performer, Nakamura Kanzaburō XVIII. Unlike many kabuki actors, who specialize in a single type of role, Shichinosuke plays both male (tachiyaku) and female (onnagata) parts.
Ichikawa Danjūrō XIII (十三代目 市川 團十郎, Jyūsandaime Ichikawa Danjūrō) (born 6 December 1977) is a Japanese Kabuki, film and…Ichikawa Danjūrō XIII (十三代目 市川 團十郎, Jyūsandaime Ichikawa Danjūrō) (born 6 December 1977) is a Japanese Kabuki, film and television actor, and stage producer. He is the eldest son and successor of the kabuki actor Ichikawa Danjūrō XII. He is known as a tachiyaku (actor specializing in male roles). In particular, he specializes in aragoto roles—a family tradition since 1660, beginning with his ancestor and founder of the Naritaya acting house, Ichikawa Danjūrō I. Prior to assuming his current title, Danjūrō was known as Ichikawa Ebizō XI (十一代目 市川 海老蔵, Jyūichidaime Ichikawa Ebizō), the eleventh holder of the Ebizō name.
Matsumoto Kōshirō X (十代目 松本幸四郎, Jūdaime Matsumoto Kōshirō; born January 8, 1973 in Tokyo) is a Japanese actor and…Matsumoto Kōshirō X (十代目 松本幸四郎, Jūdaime Matsumoto Kōshirō; born January 8, 1973 in Tokyo) is a Japanese actor and kabuki actor. His yagō is the Kōraiya. His mon is the Mitsu Ichō, and his kaemon (the alternative emblem) is Yotsu Hana-bishi. His buyō name is Matsumoto Kinshō (松本 錦升). His real name is Terumasa Fujima (藤間 照薫, Fujima Terumasa).
Mikihiro Ogawa (小川 幹弘, Ogawa Mikihiro; born 14 September 1972), better known by the stage name Shidō Nakamura II (二代目…Mikihiro Ogawa (小川 幹弘, Ogawa Mikihiro; born 14 September 1972), better known by the stage name Shidō Nakamura II (二代目 中村 獅童, Nidaime Nakamura Shidō), is a Japanese kabuki and film actor.
Kataoka Ainosuke VI (Japanese: 六代目 片岡 愛之助, Hepburn: Rokudaime Kataoka Ainosuke; born March 4, 1972) is a Japanese…Kataoka Ainosuke VI (Japanese: 六代目 片岡 愛之助, Hepburn: Rokudaime Kataoka Ainosuke; born March 4, 1972) is a Japanese actor, kabuki actor and TV host. His yagō is matsushimaya. His mon is the Oikake Go-mai Ichō. His current stage name is Ainosuke Kataoka. He is a renowned tachiyaku, specializing in both the aragoto and wagoto styles, which is rare, considering he hails from the Kansai area, where most kabuki actors specialize in the wagoto style.
Bandō Mitsugorō X (Japanese: 十代目 坂東 三津五郎) (January 23, 1956 – February 2, 2015) was a Japanese television presenter and…Bandō Mitsugorō X (Japanese: 十代目 坂東 三津五郎) (January 23, 1956 – February 2, 2015) was a Japanese television presenter and kabuki actor. He was the grandson of Bandō Mitsugorō VIII and son of Bandō Mitsugorō IX.
Bandō Tamasaburō V (五代目 坂東 玉三郎, Godaime Bandō Tamasaburō) (born 25 April 1950) is a Kabuki actor and the most popular…Bandō Tamasaburō V (五代目 坂東 玉三郎, Godaime Bandō Tamasaburō) (born 25 April 1950) is a Kabuki actor and the most popular and celebrated onnagata (an actor specializing in female roles) currently on stage. He has also acted in several films.
Ichikawa Danjūrō XII (十二代目 市川 團十郎, Jūnidaime Ichikawa Danjūrō; August 6, 1946 – February 3, 2013) was a Japanese actor.…Ichikawa Danjūrō XII (十二代目 市川 團十郎, Jūnidaime Ichikawa Danjūrō; August 6, 1946 – February 3, 2013) was a Japanese actor. He was the twelfth kabuki actor to hold the illustrious name Ichikawa Danjūrō.
Nakamura Kichiemon II (二代目 中村 吉右衛門, Nidaime Nakamura Kichiemon; 22 May 1944 – 28 November 2021) was a Japanese actor…Nakamura Kichiemon II (二代目 中村 吉右衛門, Nidaime Nakamura Kichiemon; 22 May 1944 – 28 November 2021) was a Japanese actor, kabuki performer and costume designer. He was a so-called Living National Treasure. Nakamura Kichiemon was a formal kabuki stage name. The actor's grandfather first appeared using the name in 1897, and Nakamura Kichiemon I continued to use this name until his death. Kichiemon I was the maternal grandfather of Kichiemon II. In the conservative Kabuki world, stage names are passed from father to son in a formal system which converts the kabuki stage name into a mark of accomplishment. In choosing to be known by the same stage name as his grandfather, the living kabuki performer honors his family relationships and tradition.
Matsumoto Hakuō II (ニ代目 松本 白鸚, Nidaime Matsumoto Hakuō; born August 19, 1942) is a Japanese kabuki actor, one of the…Matsumoto Hakuō II (ニ代目 松本 白鸚, Nidaime Matsumoto Hakuō; born August 19, 1942) is a Japanese kabuki actor, one of the most popular tachiyaku (specialist in male roles) currently performing. Like many members of the kabuki community, he can trace his lineage back several generations, many members of his family being kabuki actors as well. His father and grandfather were the eighth and seventh, respectively, to hold the name of Matsumoto Kōshirō, and he traces his lineage back to his great-great-grandfather Nakamura Karoku I, if not further. Kōshirō's brother, Nakamura Kichiemon II, son Matsumoto Koshirō X and grandson Ichikawa Somegorō VIII are active in the kabuki theater as well, and his daughter, Takako Matsu is an experienced film actress. In addition, Kōshirō has a number of disciples, including Matsumoto Kingo III, Matsumoto Kōemon I, and Ichikawa Komazō XI.
Masahiko Kinoshi (喜熨斗 政彦, Kinoshi Masahiko; December 9, 1939 – September 13, 2023), better known by his stage name…Masahiko Kinoshi (喜熨斗 政彦, Kinoshi Masahiko; December 9, 1939 – September 13, 2023), better known by his stage name Ichikawa Ennosuke III (三代目 市川 猿之助, Sandaime Ichikawa Ennosuke; Japanese pronunciation: [i.tɕi̥.kaꜜ.wa (|) en.no.sɯ̥.ke]), was a Japanese kabuki actor, famous for his love of keren (stage tricks). He was considered the king of chūnori; he flew out over the audience, held aloft on strings, over 5000 times.
Sakata Tōjūrō IV (四代目坂田藤十郎, Yondaime Sakata Tōjūrō; born Hirotarō Hayashi (林 宏太郎, Hayashi Hirotarō), 31 December 1931 –…Sakata Tōjūrō IV (四代目坂田藤十郎, Yondaime Sakata Tōjūrō; born Hirotarō Hayashi (林 宏太郎, Hayashi Hirotarō), 31 December 1931 – 12 November 2020) was a Japanese kabuki actor in the Kamigata style and was officially designated a Living National Treasure. Unlike most kabuki actors, he performed both male and female roles, and was renowned as both a skilled wagotoshi (actor of male roles in the wagoto tradition) and onnagata (actor of female roles). He was the fourth in the line of Sakata Tōjūrō, having revived the name after a lapse of over 230 years.
Ichikawa Raizō VIII (八代目 市川 雷蔵, Hachidaime Ichikawa Raizō; August 29, 1931 – July 17, 1969) was a Japanese film and…Ichikawa Raizō VIII (八代目 市川 雷蔵, Hachidaime Ichikawa Raizō; August 29, 1931 – July 17, 1969) was a Japanese film and kabuki actor. His birth name was Akio Kamezaki (亀崎 章雄, Kamezaki Akio), and his name was legally changed several times, first to Yoshio Takeuchi (武内 嘉男, Takeuchi Yoshio), and later to Yoshiya Ōta (太田 吉哉, Ōta Yoshiya), separate from his performing name. Six months after his birth in Kyoto he became the adopted son of Ichikawa Kudanji III (三代目 市川 九團次, Sandaime Ichikawa Kudanji). He made his kabuki acting debut at the age of 15 under the name Ichikawa Enzō (市川延蔵, Ichikawa Enzō). In 1951 he was adopted by Ichikawa Jūkai III (三代目 市川 壽海, Sandaime Ichikawa Jūkai) and was renamed as Ichikawa Raizō VIII. In 1954 he began a career as a film actor. He received breakout acclaim for his performance in Enjō and received several awards for the performance including the Blue Ribbon Award and the Kinema Junpo Award, both for the category of Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role. Among his fans he was referred to lovingly as "Rai-sama." In June 1968 he was diagnosed with and underwent surgery for rectal cancer, but it metastasized to his liver and he died the following year. Ichikawa Raizō appeared mostly in period dramas (jidaigeki). He is best known for the Sleepy Eyes of Death (Nemuri Kyoshirō) series, Ninja (Shinobi no Mono) series and Nakano Spy School (Rikugun Nakano Gakkō) series (based on the Nakano School). Raizō worked many times with director Kenji Misumi. Their collaborations include The Sword (Ken) (from a book by Yukio Mishima) and Destiny's Son, originally released as 斬る (Kiru). The actor's other notable works include An Actor's Revenge (Yukinojo henge). He was so admired for his gracefulness that in his lifetime he was called "the genius who thinks with his body."
Kataoka Nizaemon XII (十二代目片岡仁左衛門, Jūnidaime Kataoka Nizaemon; 9 September 1882 – 16 March 1946) was a Japanese kabuki…Kataoka Nizaemon XII (十二代目片岡仁左衛門, Jūnidaime Kataoka Nizaemon; 9 September 1882 – 16 March 1946) was a Japanese kabuki actor of the Kamigata tradition; also known as Jinzaemon. His violent death at the hands of a starving writer living on the actor's property has been cited by scholars such as John Dower as an example of the chaos and "social disintegration" in the months and years immediately following Japan's defeat in World War II.
Matsunosuke Onoe (尾上 松之助, Onoe Matsunosuke; September 12, 1875 – September 11, 1926), sometimes known as Medama no…Matsunosuke Onoe (尾上 松之助, Onoe Matsunosuke; September 12, 1875 – September 11, 1926), sometimes known as Medama no Matchan ("Eyeballs" Matsu), was a Japanese actor. His birth name is Tsuruzo Nakamura. He is sometimes credited as Yukio Koki, Tamijaku Onoe, or Tsunusaburo Onoe, and as a kabuki artist he went by the name Tsurusaburo Onoe. He gained great popularity, appearing in over 1,000 films, and has been called the first superstar of Japanese cinema.
