Stage names:

Ichikawa Danjûrô XI
Ichikawa Ebizô IX
Ichikawa Komazô IX
Matsumoto Kintarô I

Real names: Horikoshi Haruo, Fujima Haruo

Guild: Naritaya

Line number: JÛICHIDAIME (XI)

Existence: 6 January 1909 ~ 10 November 1965

Connections:

Father: Matsumoto Kôshirô VII

Adoptive father: Ichikawa Sanshô V (Danjûrô X)

Brothers: Matsumoto Kôshirô VIII, Onoe Shôroku II

Son: Ichikawa Danjûrô XII

Grandson: Ichikawa Danjûrô XIII

Great-grandson: Ichikawa Shinnosuke VIII

Disciples: Ichikawa Masuju, Ichikawa Masuzô IV, Ichikawa Rikô, Ichikawa Ebiji, Ichikawa Masujaku, Ichikawa Masunojô II, Ichikawa Masusuke, Ichikawa Masuichirô

Career:

6 January 1909: born in Tôkyô in the district of Nihonbashi Hama-chô.

January 1915: debut on stage (hatsubutai) at the Imperial Theater, where he received the name of Matsumoto Kintarô I and played the role of Kaidômaru in the dance-drama "Yamanba".

September 1923: the family house in Tôkyô was destoyed by a powerful earthquake called Kantô Daijishin. Matsumoto Kôshirô VII and his sons went to Kamigata. Kintarô had the chance to meet and learn the art with the great actor Nakamura Ganjirô I.

April 1929: Matsumoto Kintarô took the name of Ichikawa Komazô IX at the Imperial Theater, playing the role of Ushiwakamaru in the drama "Genji Eboshi-ori".

February 1934: premiere at the Kabukiza of "Ôishi Saigo no Ichinichi", the tenth and last play of Mayama Seika's cycle "Genroku Chûshingura"; Komazô played the role of Hisanaga Naiki [casting].

1936 ~ 1939: Komazô joined the Kabuki troupe sponsored by the Tôhô Company, without his father's; his stage partners were Nakamura Moshio IV, Bandô Minosuke VI and Ichikawa Sumizô VI. After 3 years spent at the Tôhô, Komazô went back to the Shôchiku Company.

1940: Komazô was adopted by Ichikawa Sanshô V. His honmyô, which used to be Fujima Haruo, was changed to Horikoshi Haruo.

May 1940: Ichikawa Komazô IX took the name of Ichikawa Ebizô IX at the Kabukiza, playing the role of role of a uirô peddler, in reality Soga Gorô Tokimune in disguise, in the drama "Uirô Uri", which was revived for this occasion.

1943: Ebizô joined the Imperial Army but, victim of the typhus fever, he was quickly demobilized.

June 1946: Ebizô played for the first time the role of Hanakawado Sukeroku in the drama "Sukeroku Yukari no Edo Zakura", which was staged at the Tôkyô Gekijô; the role of Agemaki was alternatively played by Nakamura Shikan VI and Onoe Kikunosuke III.

May 1947: revival at the Tôkyô Gekijô of the drama "Jayanagi"; Ebizô played the role of Ema Koshirô Yoshitoki [more details].

October 1948: Ebizô played at the Mitsukoshi Gekijô the role of Sasaki Moritsuna in the drama "Ômi Genji Senjin Yakata".

27 January 1949: his father Matsumoto Kôshirô VII died.

December 1949: Chikamatsu Monzaemon's drama "Ikutama Shinjû" was revived at the Mitsukoshi Gekijô, using a new script written by Uno Nobuo; Ebizô played the role of Hitotsuya Kaheiji [more details].

July 1951: revival at the Shinbashi Enbujô of Kawatake Mokuami's drama "Jitsugetsusei Kyôwa Seidan"; Ebizô played the role of the travelling actor Miyagawa Ushinosuke, later the priest Enmeiin Nittô [casting].

October 1952: premiere at the Kabukiza of Osaragi Jirô's drama "Wakaki Hi no Nobunaga"; Ebizô played the role of Nobunaga [casting].

March 1953: premiere at the Kabukiza of Osaragi Jirô's drama "Edo no Yûbae"; Ebizô played the role of the hatamoto Honda Koroku [casting].

January 1954: the duet Ichikawa Ebizô - Onoe Baikô VII plays for the first time in the drama "Yuki no Yûbe Iriya no Azemichi", which was staged at the Shinbashi Enbujô. Onoe Baikô VII played the role of the courtesan Michitose and Ebizô the role of Kataoka Naojirô.

March 1954: premiere at the Kabukiza of the 1st part of Funahashi Seiichi's drama "Ejima Ikushima"; Ebizô played the role of the Kabuki actor Ikushima Shingorô [more details].

March 1954: first edition at the Kabukiza from the 27th to the 28th of March of the Tsubomikai, a study group led by Nakamura Utaemon VI [more details]. It included the revival of the dance-drama "Oshidori" in which Ebizô played the roles of Kawazu Saburô Sukeyasu and the spirit of the male mandarin duck [more details].

October 1954: premiere at the Kabukiza of the 2nd part of Funahashi Seiichi's drama "Ejima Ikushima"; Ebizô played the role of the Kabuki actor Ikushima Shingorô [more details].

December 1954: premiere at the Meijiza of Kawaguchi Matsutarô's revision of Chikamatsu Monzaemon's drama "Daikyôji Mukashi Goyomi", which was entitled "Osan Mohei"; Ebizô played the role of Mohei [casting].

March 1955: premiere at the Kabukiza of the 3rd (and last) part of Funahashi Seiichi's drama "Ejima Ikushima"; Ebizô played the role of the Kabuki actor Ikushima Shingorô [more details].

1 February 1956: his adoptive father Ichikawa Sanshô V died.

September 1961: Ebizô played at the Kabukiza the role of Iwafuji in the drama "Kagamiyama Kokyô no Nishikie"; the roles of Onoe and Ohatsu were performed by Nakamura Utaemon VI and Onoe Baikô VII.

April 1962: Ichikawa Ebizô IX took the prestigious name of Ichikawa Danjûrô XI at the Kabukiza, playing the roles of Musashibô Benkei and Hanakawado Sukeroku (in reality Soga Gorô Tokimune) in "Kanjinchô" and "Sukeroku"; the roles of Togashi Saemon and Yoshitsune in "Kanjinchô" were played by Matsumoto Kôshirô VIII and Onoe Baikô VII; the roles of Agemaki, Ikyû and the shirozake seller Shinbê (in reality Soga Jûrô Sukenari) in "Sukeroku" were played by Nakamura Utaemon VI, Bandô Minosuke VI and Nakamura Kanzaburô XVII; his late adoptive father Ichikawa Sanshô V posthumously received the name of Ichikawa Danjûrô X.

May 1962: Ichikawa Danjûrô XI celebrated his second month of shûmei at the Kabukiza, playing the roles of Musashibô Benkei and Hanakawado Sukeroku (in reality Soga Gorô Tokimune) in "Kanjinchô" and "Sukeroku" (same roles as in april but different casting); the roles of Togashi Saemon and Yoshitsune in "Kanjinchô" were played by Kataoka Nizaemon XIII and Onoe Baikô VII; the roles of Agemaki, Ikyû and the shirozake seller Shinbê (in reality Soga Jûrô Sukenari) in "Sukeroku" were played by Nakamura Utaemon VI, Bandô Minosuke VI and Kataoka Nizaemon XIII.

September 1963: Ichikawa Danjûrô XI celebrated his shûmei in Nagoya at the Misonoza, playing the roles of Musashibô Benkei and Hanakawado Sukeroku (in reality Soga Gorô Tokimune) in "Kanjinchô" and "Sukeroku"; the roles of Togashi Saemon and Yoshitsune in "Kanjinchô" were played by Matsumoto Kôshirô VIII and Onoe Baikô VII; the roles of Agemaki, Ikyû and the shirozake seller Shinbê (in reality Soga Jûrô Sukenari) in "Sukeroku" were played by Onoe Baikô VII, Ichimura Uzaemon XVII and Ichikawa Sadanji III.

December 1963: Ichikawa Danjûrô XI celebrated his shûmei in Kyôto at the Minamiza, playing the roles of Musashibô Benkei and Hanakawado Sukeroku (in reality Soga Gorô Tokimune) in "Kanjinchô" and "Sukeroku"; the roles of Togashi Saemon and Yoshitsune in "Kanjinchô" were played by Bandô Mitsugorô VIII and Nakamura Utaemon VI; the roles of Agemaki, Ikyû and the shirozake seller Shinbê (in reality Soga Jûrô Sukenari) in "Sukeroku" were played by Onoe Baikô VII, Bandô Mitsugorô VIII and Kataoka Nizaemon XIII.

May 1965: Danjûrô appeared on stage for the last time, in Tôkyô at the Kabukiza, where he played the role of Yasuna in the eponymous dance-drama "Yasuna".

10 November 1965: Danjûrô died.

Comments:

Ichikawa Danjûrô XI was a talented tachiyaku and nimaime of the Shôwa era. He unfortunately died only 3 years after the most important postwar shûmei, which gave him the most prestigious name of the Kabuki world.

Ichikawa Danjûrô XI portraying Sukeroku in a print made by Ôta Masamitsu

Prints & Illustrations

Print made by Ôta Masamitsu in 1950

The Matsumoto Kintarô line of actors

The Ichikawa Komazô line of actors

The Ichikawa Ebizô line of actors

The Ichikawa Danjûrô line of actors