ICHIKAWA DANJÛRÔ XII

Stage names:

Ichikawa Danjûrô XII
Ichikawa Ebizô X
Ichikawa Shinnosuke VI
Ichikawa Natsuo

Real name: Horikoshi Natsuo

Pen name: Mimasuya Hakuji

Guild: Naritaya

Line number: JÛNIDAIME (XII)

Existence: 6 August 1946 ~ 3 February 2013

Connections:

Grandfather: Matsumoto Kôshirô VII

Father: Ichikawa Danjûrô XI

Son: Ichikawa Danjûrô XIII

Grandson: Ichikawa Shinnosuke VIII

Disciples: Ichikawa Shinzô VI, Ichikawa Shinjûrô IV

Career:

27 January 1949: his grandfather Matsumoto Kôshirô VII died.

October 1953: he made his first appearance on stage, at the Kabukiza, where he received the name of Ichikawa Natsuo and played in the drama "Daitokuji".

1 February 1956: the adoptive father of his father Ichikawa Sanshô V died^[1].

13 January 1957: Ichikawa Shinnosuke V, the son-in-law of Ichikawa Danjûrô IX, died.

May 1958: Ichikawa Natsuo took the name of Ichikawa Shinnosuke VI at the Kabukiza, playing the role of Ushiwakamaru in the danmari "Kaze Kaoru Kurama no Irodori"^[2].

10 November 1965: his father Ichikawa Danjûrô XI died.

September 1966: Shinnosuke played at the Kabukiza the role of Yosaburô in the "Gen'ya Dana" scene of the drama "Yowa Nasake Ukina no Yokogushi"; the role of Otomi was played by Onoe Kikunosuke IV.

February 1967: premiere at the Kabukiza of Hagiwara Yukio's dance-drama "Dattan"; Shinnosuke played the role of a rengyôshû [casting].

August 1968: Shinnosuke plays for the first time the prestigious role of Narukami in the eponymous play, which was staged at the National Theatre; the role of princess Taema was played by Ichikawa Monnosuke VII.

November 1969: Ichikawa Shinnosuke VI took the name of Ichikawa Ebizô X at the Kabukiza, playing the roles of Sukeroku and Togashi in the play "Sukeroku Yukari no Edo Zakura" and the dance-drama "Kanjinchô".

September 1970: Ebizô and Bandô Tamasaburô, a very popular and successful duo, performed together for the first time in the classic "Narukami", which was staged at the Kabukiza; Ebizô and Bandô Tamasaburô played the roles of Narukami and Princess Taema.

February 1976: revival at the Kabukiza of a 5-act revised version of Funahashi Seiichi's drama "Ejima Ikushima"; Ebizô played the role of the Kabuki actor Ikushima Shingorô [casting].

February 1978: premiere at the Kabukiza of Ikenami Shôtarô's drama "Aibiki no Onna"; Ebizô played the role of Itô Genzaburô [more details].

April 1981: revival at the National Theatre of Nishizawa Ippô's drama "Keisei Hama no Masago"; Ebizô played the roles of Sanni no Goroshichi and Toyotomi Hisatsugu [casting].

April 1985: Ichikawa Ebizô X took the name of Ichikawa Danjûrô XII at the Kabukiza, playing the roles of Benkei and Sukeroku in the dance-drama "Kanjinchô" and the drama "Sukeroku Yukari no Edo Zakura".

May 1985: Danjûrô celebrated his second month of shûmei at the Kabukiza, playing the roles of Kamakura Gongorô Kagemasa, Soga Gorô and Benkei in the plays "Shibaraku", "Uirô Uri" and "Kanjinchô"; his stage partners in "Kanjinchô" were Onoe Shôroku II (Togashi) and Nakamura Utaemon VI (Yoshitsune).

June 1985: Danjûrô celebrated his third month of shûmei at the Kabukiza, playing the roles of Oda Nobunaga, Narukami and Sukeroku in the dramas "Wakaki Hi no Nobunaga", "Narukami" and "Sukeroku Yukari no Edo Zakura".

Summer 1985: Danjûrô celebrated his shûmei in the USA, playing the roles of Kamakura Gongorô Kagemasa and Minamoto Raikô in the bombastic drama "Shibaraku" and the dance-drama "Tsuchi-gumo" [more details].

October 1985: Danjûrô celebrated his shûmei in Nagoya at the Misonoza, playing the roles of Benkei and Sukeroku in the plays "Kanjinchô" and "Sukeroku Yukari no Edo Zakura".

December 1985: Danjûrô celebrated his shûmei in Kyôto at the Minamiza, playing the roles of Benkei and Sukeroku in the dramas "Kanjinchô" and "Sukeroku Yukari no Edo Zakura".

January 1986: Danjûrô celebrated his comeback at the Kabukiza after the great shûmei of 1985, performing in a great new year show the roles of Soga Gorô and Oshô Kichisa in the dramas "Ya-no-Ne" and "Sannin Kichisa".

April 1986: Danjûrô celebrated his shûmei in Ôsaka at the Ôsaka Shinkabukiza, playing the roles of Benkei and Sukeroku in the dramas "Kanjinchô" and "Sukeroku Yukari no Edo Zakura".

January 1997: tôshi kyôgen revival at the National Theatre of the drama "Dan no Ura Kabuto Gunki"; Danjûrô played the roles of Akushichibyôe Kagekiyo and the priest Seki-ga-Hara Jinnai (in reality Iba-no-Jûzô Kazuyoshi) [casting].

January 1999: revival at the National Theatre of Kawatake Mokuami's zangirimono "Irogoyomi Gen'yadana"; Danjûrô played the role of Yosaburô [casting].

March 2000: an amazing threesome at the Kabukiza for the performance of "Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami". Danjûrô plays Umeômaru, with Matsumoto Kôshirô and Onoe Kikugorô in the roles of Matsuômaru and Sakuramaru.

March 2001: Danjûrô played at the Shinbashi Enbujô the role of Ôboshi Yuranosuke in the drama "Kanadehon Chûshingura", which was staged by the Onoe Kikugorô Gekidan to commemorate the 12th anniversary (13th memorial service) and the 6th anniversary (7th memorial service) of the passing away of late Onoe Shôroku II and Onoe Baikô VII.

November 2001: Danjûrô played the 3 leading roles of Tadanobu, Gonta and Tomomori in the classic "Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura", which was staged as a tôshi kyôgen at the National Theatre.

May 2004: Danjûrô played the roles of Fukuoka Mitsugi and Benkei in the drama "Ise Ondo Koi no Netaba" and the dance-drama "Kanjinchô", which were staged at the Kabukiza to celebrate the shûmei of his son Ichikawa Ebizô XI. He suddenly fell ill the 9th (first symptoms of a leukemia) and had to be replaced. He stopped acting up to Fall 2004.

October 2004: Danjûrô was back on stage ... in France at the Théâtre de Chaillot, playing the role of Sakata Ichinosuke in the drama "Toribeyama Shinjû", which celebrated the shûmei in Paris of his son Ichikawa Ebizô XI [more details].

August 2005: Danjûrô fell ill again. He had to be hospitalized and to be on sick leave for at least 6 months.

May 2006: Danjûrô was back on stage and played at the Kabukiza the role of the uirô peddler, in reality Soga Gorô Tokimune, in the drama "Uirô Uri".

March 2007: tour in Paris (France); Danjûrô played at the Palais Garnier the roles of Togashi/Benkei (in alternance with his son) and Taira no Koremochi in the dance-dramas "Kanjinchô" and "Momijigari" [more details].

January 2009: revival at the National Theatre of "Zôhiki", a bombastic play in the aragoto style belonging to the Kabuki Jûhachiban; Danjûrô played the role of the warrior Mita no Genji Takeru [casting].

September 2009: short Kabuki tour in Monaco for the Naritaya guild; Danjûrô played the role of the evil priest Narukami in the drama "Narukami" [more details].

December 2012: Danjûrô appeared on stage for the last time, in Kyôto at the Minamiza, where he played the roles of Kajiwara Heizô Kagetoki and Benkei in "Ishikiri Kajiwara" and "Funa Benkei"; falling ill, he was replaced from the 18th of December by Nakamura Kanjaku and Nakamura Hashinosuke to perform the former and the latter roles.

15 December 2012: Danjûrô joined the prestigious Japan Art Academy (Nihon Geijutsuin).

3 February 2013: Danjûrô died of pneumonia in a Tôkyô Hospital.

Comments:

Ichikawa Danjûrô XII was the holder of the most prestigious Kabuki name and an amazing tachiyaku actor.

Official internet website of the Naritaya guild: http://www.naritaya.jp/

[1] Ichikawa Sanshô V became posthumously Ichikawa Danjûrô X in 1962.

[2] This dance-drama was a revised version of "Kuramayama no Danmari".

Prints & Illustrations

Print made by Tsuruya Kôkei in 1988

The Ichikawa Shinnosuke line of actors

The Ichikawa Ebizô line of actors

The Ichikawa Danjûrô line of actors