was a Japanese
kabuki
is a classical form of Japanese dance- drama. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily-stylised performances, the often-glamorous costumes worn by performers, and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.
Kabuki is thought ...
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 refers to a family of kabuki actors in Kyoto and OsakaNussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Sakata Tōjūrō''" in ; n.b., Louis-Frédéric is pseudonym of Louis-Frédéric Nussbaum, ''see'Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Authority File. and it is the ...
, having revived the name after a lapse of over 230 years.
Lineage
Though he bears no direct hereditary connection to the previous lineage of Sakata Tōjūrō which he has revived, Tōjūrō traced his line back several generations within the kabuki world. He is the eldest son of
Nakamura Ganjirō II
was a Japanese kabuki and film actor. He appeared in more than 70 films between 1941 and 1980, directed by notable filmmakers such as Yasujirō Ozu, Kenji Mizoguchi, Akira Kurosawa, and Mikio Naruse.
Filmography Film
Television
Honors
* 1 ...
, grandson of
Nakamura Ganjirō I, and great-grandson of
Nakamura Kanjaku III who was adopted into the kabuki families by
Nakamura Utaemon IV.
Tōjūrō's sons
Nakamura Ganjirō IV and
Nakamura Senjaku III perform as kabuki actors, as do his grandsons
Nakamura Kazutarō and
Nakamura Toranosuke.
Life and career
He was born on
New Year's Eve
In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve, also known as Old Year's Day or Saint Sylvester's Day in many countries, is the evening or the entire day of the last day of the year, on 31 December. The last day of the year is commonly referred to ...
1931, the eldest son of actor Nakamura Ganjirō II. He made his first appearance on stage in October 1941, under the name
Nakamura Senjaku II, at the
Kado-za in Osaka, in the play ''Komochi Yamanba''.
Throughout his career, he has performed primarily in Osaka, performing in both traditional pieces long in the repertoire, and in new kabuki works, primarily by playwright
Nobuo Uno. He also frequently took part in revival performances in Tokyo of works by the great
bunraku
(also known as ) is a form of traditional Japanese puppet theatre, founded in Osaka in the beginning of the 17th century, which is still performed in the modern day. Three kinds of performers take part in a performance: the or (puppeteers ...
(puppet theatre) playwright
Chikamatsu Monzaemon
was a Japanese dramatist of jōruri, the form of puppet theater that later came to be known as bunraku, and the live-actor drama, kabuki. The ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' has written that he is "widely regarded as the greatest Japanese dramatis ...
. "
The Love Suicides at Sonezaki" (''Sonezaki Shinjū''), one of the playwright's most famous works, was performed for the first time since before
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
at the
Shinbashi Enbujō
The is a theatre in the Ginza neighborhood of Tokyo, Japan. It is a major kabuki venue, though other types of performances take place there as well.
History
The theatre was originally built in 1925 to provide a venue for the ''Azuma Odori'' g ...
in 1953. The playwright's 250th memorial service was observed with the revival of ''
Horikawa Nami no Tsuzumi'' in 1973.
In 1982, Senjaku founded the
Chikamatsu-za, a traveling troupe devoted to performing and reviving Chikamatsu's works. These tours have taken him to many cities across Japan, as well as England, the US, China, and elsewhere, not only doing performances, but lectures and cultural workshops as well. The tours frequently feature "
The Love Suicides at Amijima" (''Amijima Shinjū''), and sometimes feature the revivals of plays not performed for centuries. The 1998 tour saw the revival of ''Keisei Mibu Dainenbutsu'' which had not been performed since 1702.
Senjaku inherited his father's name and became Nakamura Ganjirō III in November 1990, in a ''
shūmei'' ceremony at the
Kabuki-za in Tokyo. Ganjirō was then named a Living National Treasure (人間国宝, ''ningen kokuhō'') in 1994.
He took the name Sakata Tōjūrō in December 2005.
He adopted this new name at the
Minami-za in Kyoto. His goal was reviving the lineage which had died out over 230 years prior, with the death of
Sakata Tōjūrō III in 1774. He sought to not only honor the memory of the line of Sakata Tōjūrō before him, who pioneered, developed, and maintained the Kamigata (
Kansai
The or the , lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshu, Honshū. The region includes the Prefectures of Japan, prefectures of Nara Prefecture, Nara, Wakayama Prefecture, Wakayama, Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto, Osaka Prefectur ...
) kabuki tradition, but also as part of an effort to revive and maintain that tradition himself. He is thus, like the other Tōjūrō before him, seen as a symbol of the Kamigata tradition, and as the top actor in that tradition.
In addition to performing, Tōjūrō oversaw and participated in a number of cultural programs to help encourage interest in kabuki, and to maintain the Kamigata tradition. He has also performed abroad, his September 2007 tour taking him to
Guangzhou
Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, sou ...
,
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the Capital city, capital of the China, People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's Li ...
,
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four Direct-administered municipalities of China, direct-administered municipalities of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the ...
, and
Hangzhou
Hangzhou ( or , ; , , Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), also Chinese postal romanization, romanized as Hangchow, is the capital and most populous city of Zhejiang, China. It is located in the northwestern part of the prov ...
. In December of that year, he celebrated his 77th birthday (a special birthday in Japan) with a performance of ''
Musume Dōjōji''.
Selected works
In a statistical overview derived from writings by and about Sakata Tōjūrō IV,
OCLC
OCLC, Inc., doing business as OCLC, See also: is an American nonprofit cooperative organization "that provides shared technology services, original research, and community programs for its membership and the library community at large". It wa ...
/
WorldCat
WorldCat is a union catalog that itemizes the collections of tens of thousands of institutions (mostly libraries), in many countries, that are current or past members of the OCLC global cooperative. It is operated by OCLC, Inc. Many of the O ...
encompasses roughly 30+ works in 30+ publications in 2 languages and 170+ library holdings .
* 近松劇への招待 : 舞台づくりと歌舞伎考 (1989) with Koshirō Uno;
* 通し狂言宿無団七時雨の傘 : 三幕六場 (1992) with Shōzō Namiki and Ginsaku Tobe
* 一生青春 (1997) with Michiko Toki
* 雁治郎芸談 by 中村雁治郎 (2000) Kiyoshi Mizuochi
* 恋飛脚大和往来. 封印切 : 一幕 (2000) with Mansaku Tatsuoka
* 加賀見山旧錦絵: 通し狂言: 四幕七場 (2004) with Yōtai Yō and Shōichi Yamada
* 坂田藤十郎 : 歌舞伎の真髄を生きる (2006)
Honors
* 1990 –
Medal with Purple Ribbon
* 1994 –
Living National Treasure
* 2003 –
Person of Cultural Merit
is an official Japanese recognition and honor which is awarded annually to select people who have made outstanding cultural contributions. This distinction is intended to play a role as a part of a system of support measures for the promotion of ...
* 2006 –
Osaka Culture Prize
The is an annual award presented by the Osaka
is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special ...
Cultural Transmission Prize
* 2008 –
Praemium Imperiale
Prince Takamatsu
The Praemium Imperiale ( ja, 高松宮殿下記念世界文化賞, Takamatsu-no-miya Denka Kinen Sekai Bunka-shō, World Culture Prize in Memory of His Imperial Highness Prince Takamatsu) is an international art prize inaugur ...
* 2009 –
Order of Culture "Emperor awards decoration to Russian Japanese art expert,"
''Mainichi Shimbun.'' November 4, 2009.
See also
* Nakamura Kanzaburō
Notes
References
* . (2008). . Tokyo: .
* Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005)
''Japan encyclopedia.''
Cambridge: Harvard University Press
Harvard University Press (HUP) is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. After the retir ...
.
OCLC 58053128
External links
Sakata Tōjūrō IV
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sakata, Tojuro 4
1931 births
Kabuki actors
2020 deaths
Male actors from Kyoto
Living National Treasures of Japan
Spouses of Japanese politicians
Recipients of the Medal with Purple Ribbon
Persons of Cultural Merit
Recipients of the Order of Culture
Recipients of the Praemium Imperiale