was a Japanese

kabuki is a classical form of Theatre of Japan, Japanese theatre, mixing dramatic performance with Japanese traditional dance, traditional dance. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily stylised performances, its glamorous, highly decorated costumes ...

actor of the late

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

. He specialized in , but sometimes also performed as an ''

onnagata , also , are male actors who play female roles in kabuki theatre. It originated in 1629 after women were banned from performing in kabuki performances. There are many specific techniques that actors must learn to master the role of ''onnagata'' ...

''.

Biography

In 1800, Arashi appeared on stage for the first time in

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

where he received the name of . He spent the first two decades of his career on the stages of minor theatres across the

Kamigata Kamigata (上方) was the colloquial term for a region today called Kansai region, Kansai (''kan'', barrier; ''sai'', west) in Japan. This large area encompasses the cities of Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe. The term was also sometimes used to refer only ...

region. He took the name Rikan II in 1828. Small in stature, Rikan II was famous for his striking eyes. He was given the moniker , from the characters and the of his original stage name Tokusaburō. He was the particular favourite of artist

Shunbaisai Hokuei Shunbaisai Hokuei (; d. 1837), also known as Shunkō III, was a designer of ukiyo-e style woodblock printing in Japan, Japanese woodblock prints in Osaka, and was active from about 1824 to 1837. He was a student of Shunkōsai Hokushū. H ...

() and appears in most of his prints. He performed until his death in 1837, and was buried in Osaka. Nakamura Utaemon IV attended his funeral. The Arashi Rikan line continued into the fifth generation, dying out in 1920.

Gallery

File:Arashi Rikan II as Osome (Ryusai Shigeharu).jpg, '' Arashi Rikan II as Osome'' File:Arashi Rikan als Inuyama Dosetsu, RP-P-1979-226.jpg, ''Arashi Rikan II as from the

Hakkenden Hakkenden, and variations, may refer to: * '' Nansō Satomi Hakkenden'', an epic 19th century serial novel by Kyokutei Bakin Or adaptations of the story, including: * ''Satomi Hakkenden'' (1983), known as '' Legend of the Eight Samurai'', a martia ...

'' File:Man met blote voeten in pijnboom, RP-P-2009-154.jpg, ''Arashi Rikan II as (d. 1184), a retainer of

Kiso Yoshinaka , also known as , was a Japanese samurai lord mentioned in the epic poem ''The Tale of the Heike.'' A member of the Minamoto clan, he was a cousin and later rival of ''shogun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo during the Genpei War between the Minamoto and th ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arashi, Rikan II 1788 births 1837 deaths Kabuki actors

Biography

Gallery

See also

References