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Kabuki's Tradition is Passed On with Ebizo XI's Shumei Performances.
(From Journal of Japanese Trade & Industry (JJTI))
Byline: Kurosawa Tsuneo
The Kabuki world is gripped by a frenzy over popular young actor Ichikawa Shinnosuke VII's succession to the distinguished stage name of Ichikawa Ebizo XI.
The gala performance celebrating Shinnosuke's name-taking, called "shumei," kicked off at Tokyo's Kabuki-za theater in May and toured Osaka and Nagoya. All the tickets were sold out in advance. The "shumei" performance will also take place in Paris in October and then in various parts of Japan through next year.
A total of 550,000 people are expected to see the Ebizo XI's "shumei" performances, and the new name-taking by the 26-year-old heir apparent of the Ichikawa Danjuro family, one of the most celebrated Kabuki families, is certain to touch off a Kabuki boom.
Ichikawa Danjuro Family: the Symbol of Kabuki Ebizo XI was born in 1977 as a son of Ichikawa Danjuro XII and made his stage debut at the tender age of five. Since his teens, he has been one of the most popular young Kabuki actors, together with Onoe Kikunosuke and Onoe Shoroku IV (then Tatsunosuke). The trio was called "sannosuke" (the three 'suke's) of the Heisei Era.
As Shinnosuke, Ebizo XI's acting arena extended beyond Kabuki, appearing in contemporary plays and TV dramas. He starred in "Musashi," a prime time TV drama last year about Miyamoto Musashi, a great swordsman of the Edo period and a popular historical figure in Japan. His rugged acting charmed even those who previously had no interest in Kabuki.
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