Nakamura Kantaro II
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese kabuki
, television, and film actor. Born , he is the eldest son of actor Nakamura Kanzaburō XVIII, and brother to Nakamura Shichinosuke II.
and Ichimura Uzaemon XI
, who performed in the early 19th century. As is the case with the names of all kabuki actors, "Nakamura Kantarō" is a yagō
or stage name.
. He formally received the name Kantarō at the age of six, playing alongside his younger brother as the title characters in Ninin Momotarō ("The Two Momotarō
") at the Kabuki-za.
The year 2000 marked the 12th anniversary of the death of Kantarō's grandfather, actor Nakamura Kanzaburō XVII. Kantarō enjoyed the honor of playing the role of the elder shishi
in the commemorative lion dance
performance. The following year, he performed in the Renjishi lion dance, along with his brother and father, as part of a New Year's
celebration. A temporary stage was set up on the beach at Naruto
, near Tokyo.
Playing for the first time the role of Konami in the famous play Kanadehon Chūshingura
in March 2001, Kantarō performed alongside the great onnagata Bandō Tamasaburō V
.
Like his brother, and many other kabuki actors today, Kantarō also works in television and film. In 2004, he played Tōdō Heisuke
in the NHK
Taiga drama
Shinsengumi!
, reprising the role two years later in a historical television documentary. Kantarō currently narrates a TBS
documentary program on UNESCO
World Heritage Sites, and starred in the 2001 Japanese film Turn and 2009 film Zen
, in which he played the monk Dōgen
. He has also featured in a number of television dramas and other programs.
Kabuki
is classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.The individual kanji characters, from left to right, mean sing , dance , and skill...
, television, and film actor. Born , he is the eldest son of actor Nakamura Kanzaburō XVIII, and brother to Nakamura Shichinosuke II.
Names and Lineage
A member of the acting guild Nakamura-ya, Kantarō's younger brother Shichinosuke II and father Kanzaburō XVIII currently perform kabuki, and his family can trace their lineage back, within the kabuki world, at least seven generations, to Onoe Kikugorō IIIOnoe Kikugoro III
was a Japanese kabuki actor, the first and among the most famous kaneru yakusha, a type of actor who performs a wide variety of roles. This is in contrast to the vast majority of kabuki actors, who specialize in only playing women, heroes, villains, or other particular types of roles...
and Ichimura Uzaemon XI
Ichimura Uzaemon XI
was a zamoto of the Ichimura-za kabuki theatre in Edo, Japan. Like many zamoto, he was raised in a kabuki family and trained to be an actor, but rarely actually appeared on stage.-Names and lineage:...
, who performed in the early 19th century. As is the case with the names of all kabuki actors, "Nakamura Kantarō" is a yagō
YAGO
YAGO was an early LAN startup acquired by Cabletron Systems in the mid-1990s, fueling its growth into Gigabit Ethernet switching and ultimately being re-spun off into the entity Riverstone Networks....
or stage name.
Life and career
Kantarō made his first appearance on stage at the age of two, in a kokata monk role at the Kabuki-zaKabuki-za
' in Ginza was the principal theater in Tokyo for the traditional kabuki drama form.-Architecture:The original Kabuki-za was a wooden structure, built in 1889 on land which had been either the Tokyo residence of the Hosokawa clan of Kumamoto, or that of Matsudaira clan of Izu.The building was...
. He formally received the name Kantarō at the age of six, playing alongside his younger brother as the title characters in Ninin Momotarō ("The Two Momotarō
Momotaro
is a popular hero from Japanese folklore. His name literally means Peach Tarō; as Tarō is a common Japanese boy's name, it is often translated as Peach Boy...
") at the Kabuki-za.
The year 2000 marked the 12th anniversary of the death of Kantarō's grandfather, actor Nakamura Kanzaburō XVII. Kantarō enjoyed the honor of playing the role of the elder shishi
Shishi
Shishi may refer to:*Chinese guardian lion, also known as a shishi*The left member of a pair of komainu*Shishi City, in Quanzhou, Fujian, China*Shishi , Japanese political activists of the late Edo period...
in the commemorative lion dance
Lion dance
Lion dance is a form of traditional dance in Chinese culture, in which performers mimic a lion's movements in a lion costume. The lion dance is often mistakenly referred to as dragon dance. An easy way to tell the difference is that a lion is operated by two people, while a dragon needs many people...
performance. The following year, he performed in the Renjishi lion dance, along with his brother and father, as part of a New Year's
Japanese New Year
The is one of the most important annual festivals, with its own unique customs, and has been celebrated for centuries. Due to the importance of the holiday and the preparations required, the preceding days are quite busy, particularly the day before, known as Ōmisoka.The Japanese New Year has been...
celebration. A temporary stage was set up on the beach at Naruto
Naruto, Chiba
was a town located in Sanbu District, Chiba Prefecture, Japan.Narutō Town was established on April 1, 1889 within Musha District, Chiba. Musha District became part of Sanbu District from April 1, 1897. On October 1, 1954 Narutō expanded through the annexation of the neighboring villages of Ōtomi...
, near Tokyo.
Playing for the first time the role of Konami in the famous play Kanadehon Chūshingura
Chushingura
is the name for fictionalized accounts of the historical revenge by the Forty-seven Ronin of the death of their master, Asano Naganori. Including the early , the story has been told in kabuki, bunraku, stage plays, films, novels, television shows and other media...
in March 2001, Kantarō performed alongside the great onnagata Bandō Tamasaburō V
Bando Tamasaburo V
is a Kabuki actor, and the most popular and celebrated onnagata currently on stage. He has also acted in a handful of films....
.
Like his brother, and many other kabuki actors today, Kantarō also works in television and film. In 2004, he played Tōdō Heisuke
Todo Heisuke
Tōdō Heisuke Tōdō Heisuke Tōdō Heisuke (藤堂 平助 1844 – December 13, 1867）was a samurai of Japan's late Edo period who served as the eighth unit captain of the Shinsengumi. His full name was Tōdō Heisuke Fujiwara no Yoshitora.-Background:...
in the NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
Taiga drama
Taiga drama
is the name NHK gives to the annual, year-long historical fiction television series it broadcasts in Japan. Beginning in 1963 with the black-and-white Hana no Shōgai, starring kabuki actor Onoe Shōroku and Takarazuka star Awashima Chikage, the network has hired a producer, director, writer, music...
Shinsengumi!
Shinsengumi!
is a Taiga drama television series produced by Japanese broadcaster NHK. It was a popular drama about shinsengumi, the Japanese special police from the Shogun period....
, reprising the role two years later in a historical television documentary. Kantarō currently narrates a TBS
Tokyo Broadcasting System
, TBS Holdings, Inc. or TBSHD, is a stockholding company in Tokyo, Japan. It is a parent company of a television network named and radio network named ....
documentary program on UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
World Heritage Sites, and starred in the 2001 Japanese film Turn and 2009 film Zen
Zen (2009)
"Zen" is a 2009 film directed by Banmei Takahashi and starring Nakamura Kantarō II.The film is a biography of Dōgen Zenji , a Japanese Zen Buddhist teacher and the founder of the Sōtō school of Zen in Japan after travelling to China....
, in which he played the monk Dōgen
Dogen
Dōgen Zenji was a Japanese Zen Buddhist teacher born in Kyōto, and the founder of the Sōtō school of Zen in Japan after travelling to China and training under the Chinese Caodong lineage there...
. He has also featured in a number of television dramas and other programs.