(1813-6 March 1855), also known as , 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, and the first in the lineage to hold each of the
stage-names Shūka and Tamasaburō.
Names
Like most Kabuki actors, and many artists of the time, Shūka had a number of other names. He first appeared on stage as Bandō Tamanosuke, took the name Bandō Tamasaburō early in his career, and then Shūka later on. He was posthumously given the name , and as a member of the Yamatoya guild throughout his life, would have been called by that name as well (see ''
yagō
, literally meaning "house name", is a term applied in traditional Japanese culture to Japanese name, names passed down within a guild, studio, or other circumstance other than blood relations. The term is synonymous with and . The term most ofte ...
'').
Lineage
As was the case with many Kabuki actors, Shūka was not biologically related to the Bandō family of actors, but rather was adopted into it. His biological father, Tachibanaya Jisuke, was an accounting manager of the
Ichimura-za theatre; he was adopted at a very young age by the actor
Bandō Mitsugorō III, who raised him as an actor. Shūka's son would be named
Bandō Mitsugorō VI, and his adopted son was known as
Bandō Minosuke IV.
Life and career
Adopted at a young age by the actor Bandō Mitsugorō III, who gave him the name Tamanosuke, he made his first stage appearance in 1824, at the age of 11, taking the name Bandō Tamasaburō. Six years later, in 1830, after performing on tour in
Nagoya
is the largest city in the Chūbu region of Japan. It is the list of cities in Japan, fourth-most populous city in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020, and the principal city of the Chūkyō metropolitan area, which is the List of ...
and the surrounding area of
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 ...
with
Bandō Hikosaburō IV, Tamasaburō and Hikosaburō settled 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 ...
and began performing regularly at the
Naka no Shibai (Central Theatre). Mitsugorō died the following year, however, and so Tamasaburō returned to Edo soon afterwards. In 1839, he took on his father's poetry name (''haimyō''), Bandō Shūka, in a ''
shūmei
''Shūmei'' (, "name succession") are grand naming ceremonies held in kabuki theatre. Most often, a number of actors will participate in a single ceremony, taking on new stage names.
These stage names, most often those of the actor's father, gr ...
'' (naming ceremony) at the Ichimura-za.
Over the course of his career, Shūka performed in countless plays, and was a celebrated ''onnagata'' (actor specializing in female roles) alongside his ''tachiyaku'' (actor of male roles) partner,
Ichikawa Danjūrō VIII. In 1853, he began performing at the
Kawarazaki-za
The was one of the major kabuki theatres in Edo (modern-day Tokyo) during the Edo period and into the Meiji period. Not being one of the four theatres formally licensed by the Tokugawa shogunate, the theatre was largely inactive for long stretche ...
. His final performance was as Kaoyo Gozen and Okaru in the famous ''
Kanadehon Chūshingura
is an 11-act bunraku puppet play composed in 1748. It is one of the most popular Japanese plays, ranked with Zeami Motokiyo, Zeami's ''Matsukaze'', although the vivid action of ''Chūshingura'' differs dramatically from ''Matsukaze''.
Medium
Du ...
'', in November the following year. He was posthumously named Bandō Mitsugorō, after his adopted father; the same name was held by his own adopted son for most of his career. As a result, drama historians now consider Shūka and his adopted son to be the fifth and
sixth, respectively, to be known as Mitsugorō.
See also
*Actor lineages:
*
Bandō Tamasaburō
References
External links
Bandō Shūka I at Kabuki21.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bando, Shuka 1
Kabuki actors
1813 births
1855 deaths
19th-century Japanese male actors
Male actors from Tokyo
Onnagata actors
Yamatoya