SHIMBASHI EMBUJÔ

City

Tôkyô

History

January 1952: premiere at the Shimbashi Embujô of Hagiwara Yukio's Kiyomoto-based dôjôjimono "Yuki no Dôjôji"; the music was written by Kiyomoto Eijirô III and the choreography was made by Fujima Kanjûrô VI; it is staged with a Kiyomoto ensemble led by Kiyomoto Enjudayû VI and the following casting:

Roles	Actors
The ghost of Princess Kiyo	Onoe Baikô VII
A young shugenja	Onoe Shôroku II
A Dôjôji bonze	Ichimura Kakitsu VIII
A Dôjôji bonze	Ôkawa Hashizô II
A Dôjôji bonze	Bandô Mitsunobu
A Dôjôji bonze	Onoe Kikuzô VI

August 1953: revival of Chikamatsu Monzaemon I's masterpiece "Sonezaki Shinjû" at the Shimbashi Embujô, based on a new script written by Uno Nobuo and staged with the following casting:

Roles	Actors
Hiranoya Tokubei	Nakamura Ganjirô II
Tenmaya Ohatsu	Nakamura Senjaku II
Aburaya Kuheiji	Arashi Kichisaburô VII
Hiranoya Kyûemon	Bandô Minosuke VI
Tenmaya Sôbei	Asao Okuyama IV

January 1954: revival at the Shimbashi Embujô of the Nagauta-based dance "Taimen Hana no Harukoma", which is titled "Ataru Toshi Iwau Harukoma" and staged with the following casting:

Roles	Actors
Soga Jûrô Sukenari	Ôkawa Hashizô II
Soga Gorô Tokimune	Bandô Mitsunobu
Kudô Saemon Suketsune	Kawarazaki Gonzaburô IV
Kobayashi no Asahina	Kataoka Ichizô V
The courtesan Kewaizaka no Shôshô	Sawamura Yoshijirô IV
Hachiman no Saburô	Kataoka Daisuke
The courtesan Ôiso no Tora	Onoe Kikuzô VI
Ômi no Kotôta	Suketakaya Kodenji II

June 1971: revival at the Shimbashi Embujô of the drama "Banshû Sarayashiki"; the roles of Asayama Tetsuzan and the koshimoto Okiku are played by Kataoka Takao and Bandô Tamasaburô.

June 1989: the drama "Kaidan Botan Dôrô" using Ônishi Nobuyuki's script is staged for the first time with a full Kabuki casting, at the Shimbashi Embujô:

Roles	Actors
Tomozô, Hagiwara Shinzaburô	Kataoka Takao
Otsuyu, Otsuyu's ghost, Tomozô's wife Omine	Bandô Tamasaburô
San'yûtei Enchô	Nakamura Kankurô
Oyone's ghost	Nakamura Mannojô
Genjirô's lover Okuni	Nakamura Kotarô V
Miyanobe Genjirô	Bandô Yasosuke V

June 1991: premiere at the Shimbashi Embujô of Hagiwara Yukio's dance-drama "Sakuragawa", which is staged with the following casting:

Roles	Actors
Somenoi-no-Mae	Nakamura Shikan VII
The Isobedera Temple head Chikukei	Nakamura Hashinosuke III
The temple page Ryûchin	Nakamura Kantarô II
Sakura	Nakamura Shichinosuke II

January 2008: revival at the Shimbashi Embujô of "Narukami Fudô Kitayama Zakura", which celebrates the 1070th anniversary of the Naritasan temple, where the Deity Fudô Myôô is worshipped, and which is staged with the following casting:

Roles	Actors
The wicked priest Narukami, Kumedera Danjô, the deity Fudô Myôô, Abe no Kiyoyuki, Hayakumo no Ôji	Ichikawa Ebizô XI
Princess Taema	Nakamura Shibajaku VII
Fujiwara no Mototsune	Ichikawa Monnosuke VIII
Bun'ya Toyohide	Ichikawa Danjirô
The koshimoto Makiginu	Ichikawa Emisaburô III
Ono Saemon Harumichi	Ôtani Tomoemon VIII
Ono no Harukaze	Sawamura Sônosuke III
The karô Yatsurugi Gemba, Kokuunbô (the Buddhist monk black cloud)	Kataoka Ichizô VI
Yamagami Kanzô	Ichikawa En'ya II
The page Hata no Hidetarô	Ichikawa Shun'en II
The karô Hata no Mimbu, Hakuunbô (the Buddhist monk white cloud)	Ichikawa Unosuke III

September 2011: Nakamura Kashô III and his son Nakamura Tanetarô IV take the names of Nakamura Matagorô III and Nakamura Kashô IV at the Shimbashi Embujô; the new Nakamura Matagorô III plays the roles of Takebe Genzô, Toyotomi Hideyori and Umeômaru in "Terakoya", "Hototogisu Kojô no Rakugetsu" and "Kurumabiki" [more details].

February 2012: Nakamura Kantarô II takes the name of Nakamura Kankurô VI in Tôkyô at the Shimbashi Embujô, playing the roles of the priest Chichû (in reality the spirit of the ground spider), Matsue and Yayoi (in reality the spirit of the Lion) in "Tsuchi Gumo", "Kôchiyama" and "Kagami Jishi" [more details].

The Shimbashi Embujô

More pictures!