The was a major

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 though ...

theatre in the Japanese capital of Edo (later,

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

), for much of the Edo period, and into the 20th century. It was first opened in 1634 and was run by members of the

Ichimura family Ichimura (written: lit. "one village", lit. "market village" or ) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese speed skater *, Japanese politician *, Japanese actor and singer *, Japanese alpi ...

for much of the following nearly three centuries before it was destroyed by fire in 1932. It has not been rebuilt.

History

The theatre which would later be known as the Ichimura-za was founded as the Murayama-za, by Murayama Matasaburō I in March 1634.Shōriya, Asagoro. "Ichimuraza."
Kabuki21.com
Accessed 15 November 2008. After it was destroyed by fire in 1641 and rebuilt, the theatre, now controlled by Murayama's son-in-law Murata Kuroemon, with the help of

Ichimura Uzaemon III Ichimura (written: lit. "one village", lit. "market village" or ) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese speed skater *, Japanese politician *, Japanese actor and singer *, Japanese alpi ...

, was renamed the Ichimura-za in 1643. Uzaemon became the official manager of the theatre in 1652, upon Kuroemon's death. The Ichimura-za was destroyed by fire and rebuilt numerous times over the years, including during the famous 1657 "Furisode Fire" or " Great Fire of Meireki". Ichimura Uzaemon III retired to become a priest in 1664, leaving ten-year-old

Ichimura Takenojō I Ichimura (written: lit. "one village", lit. "market village" or ) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese speed skater *, Japanese politician *, Japanese actor and singer *, Japanese alpi ...

as his successor as ''

zamoto A ''zamoto'' (座元) is a manager of a kabuki theatre. Historically, the zamoto owned the theatre and was responsible for obtaining performance rights from the ''shōgun''.''Japan Quarterly'', 1969, p. 302 (Asahi Shinbunsha) Typically the zamoto ...

'' (manager) of the theatre. It was then renamed the "Ichimura-Takenojō-za" for roughly a decade. In 1670, the shogunate officially restricted the licensed theatres in the city to four; the Ichimura-Takenojō-za received a license along with the

Nakamura-za was one of the three main ''kabuki'' theatres of Edo alongside the Morita-za and Ichimura-za. History It was founded in 1624 by Nakamura Kanzaburō 1st. The Nakamura-za relocated to the new capital Tokyo in 1868 and reopened under Nakamura ...

Morita-za The Morita-za (森田座・守田座), also known later as the Shintomi-za (新富座), was one of the major Kabuki theaters in Edo (modern-day Tokyo) during the Edo period and into the beginning of the 20th century. It was established in January ...

and Yamamura-za. The Ichimura-za would be host to numerous premieres and significant historical events for the kabuki genre. March 1680 saw the very first performance of a '' sayaate'' scene, or love rivals' competition;

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 ...

's masterpiece ''

The Battles of Coxinga is a puppet play by Chikamatsu Monzaemon. It was his most popular play. First staged on November 26, 1715, in Osaka, it ran for the next 17 months, far longer than the usual few weeks or months. Its enduring popularity can largely be attributed t ...

'', the first kabuki play derived from a

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) play to be performed in Edo, premiered simultaneously in 1717 at the Ichimura-za, and two other licensed theaters. '' Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami'', which remains today among the three most famous and popular kabuki plays, debuted at the Ichimura-za in 1747. From 1784 to 1788, and again from 1793 to 1798, the Ichimura-za was forced to close due to financial difficulties, and gave its license temporarily to the

Kiri-za The was a major kabuki theatre in the Japanese capital of Edo (later, Tokyo), for much of the Edo period, and into the 20th century. It was first opened in 1634 and was run by members of the Ichimura family for much of the following nearly three ...

. This circumstance was relatively common in the kabuki world, and was experienced by all of the licensed theaters at least once; in some cases, repeatedly. The Ichimura-za would be forced to declare bankruptcy and close again from 1815–1821, during which time its license traded hands several times, as other theaters too went bankrupt. It eventually reopened, under the management of

Ichimura Uzaemon XII Ichimura (written: lit. "one village", lit. "market village" or ) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese speed skater *, Japanese politician *, Japanese actor and singer *, Japanese alpi ...

. After the theatre was destroyed once again by fire in 1841, and forbidden by the government to be rebuilt in its old location in the Sakai-chō neighborhood, the Ichimura-za was reconstructed and reopened in the

Asakusa is a district in Taitō, Tokyo, Japan. It is known as the location of the Sensō-ji, a Buddhist temple dedicated to the bodhisattva Kannon. There are several other temples in Asakusa, as well as various festivals, such as the . History The ...

Saruwaka-chō area. In 1871,

Ichimura Uzaemon XIV Ichimura (written: lit. "one village", lit. "market village" or ) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese speed skater *, Japanese politician *, Japanese actor and singer *, Japanese alpi ...

, struggling with the theater's debts, relinquished his position as ''zamoto'', and gave control to Fukichi Mohei. Fukichi renamed the theater the Murayama-za once more, and named his 10-year-old son

Murayama Matasaburō II Murayama may refer to: *Murayama (surname) *Murayama, Yamagata is a city located in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 23,643 in 8133 households, and a population density of 120 persons per km². The total ar ...

as official ''zamoto''. The theatre would change management, and names, two more times: to Miyamoto-za in 1874 and Satsuma-za in 1875, before it was destroyed by fire yet again, and reopened in 1878 as the Ichimura-za once more. The theater was no longer controlled by the Ichimura family however, and was then managed by

Ichikawa Benzō may refer to: Places *Ichikawa, Chiba, a city in Chiba, Japan **Ichikawa Gakuen (Ichikawa Junior and Senior High School), a large private boys and girls school in Moto-kita-kata, Ichikawa, Chiba * Ichikawa, Hyogo, a town in Hyōgo, Japan *Ichikawa ...

and

Nakamura Zenshirō Nakamura may refer to: Places *Nakamura, Kōchi, a former city in Kōchi Prefecture, Japan *Nakamura-ku, Nagoya, a ward in Nagoya city in Aichi Prefecture, Japan People *Nakamura (surname), a list of people with the surname Other uses *Nakamura s ...

. The theater was then acquired in 1908 by entrepreneur Tamura Nariyoshi, marking the beginning of a brief golden age for the theater.

Onoe Kikugorō VI Hamanoshima Keishi (濱ノ嶋啓志, born 21 March 1970 as Keishi Hamasu) is a former sumo wrestler from Uto, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. A former amateur champion, he turned professional in 1992, reaching the top ''makuuchi'' division in 1994. ...

and

Nakamura Kichiemon I was a Japanese actor and kabuki performer. In 1945, he became the senior living kabuki actor in Japan.Scott, Adolphe C. (1999). Biography Kichiemon construed his career in terms of "lifelong study" (''gei'') of that which cannot be seen in a ...

, the stars of the Ichimura-za productions, were extremely popular, and for ten years brought great success to the Ichimura-za. A fire destroyed the theater for the last time, on May 21, 1932. It was not rebuilt.

Zamoto

Odori Keiyō Edo-e no sakae by Toyokuni III

# Murayama Matasaburō I (1634–1641)These dates reflect not the birth and death of the actor, but rather the years during which he served as ''zamoto'', or head of the theatre. # Murata Kuroemon (1641–1652) #

(1652–1664) #

(1664–1679) #

Ichimura Uzaemon V Ichimura (written: lit. "one village", lit. "market village" or ) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese speed skater *, Japanese politician *, Japanese actor and singer *, Japanese alpi ...

(1679-?) #

Ichimura Uzaemon IX Ichimura (written: lit. "one village", lit. "market village" or ) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese speed skater *, Japanese politician *, Japanese actor and singer *, Japanese alpi ...

(?-1785) # Ichimura Uzaemon X (1785–1799) #

(1821–1851) # Ichimura Uzaemon XIII (1851-1868?) #

(1868–1871) #

(1871–1874) # Miyamoto Kisaburō (1874) # Satsuma Kichiemon (1875–1876) #

(1878-1908?)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ichimura-Za Former kabuki theatres 1634 establishments in Japan 1932 disestablishments in Japan