Stage names:

Ichikawa Jukai III
Ichikawa Sumizô VI
Ichikawa Tôshô
Ichikawa Komanosuke
Ichikawa Takamaru

Real name: Ôta Shôzô

Guild: Naritaya

Line number: SANDAIME (III)

Existence: 12 July 1886 ~ 3 April 1971

Connections:

Master: Ichikawa Kodanji V

Adoptive father: Ichikawa Sumizô V

Brother: Ichikawa Yonezaemon

Adopted son: Ichikawa Raizô VIII

Disciple: Ichikawa Shôhaku

Career:

12 July 1886: born in Tôkyô in the district of Nihonbashi Kakigara-chô.

May 1894: he became a disciple of Ichikawa Kodanji V and made his first stage appearance, at the Meijiza, where he received the name of Ichikawa Takamaru.

January 1903: Ichikawa Takamaru took the name of Ichikawa Komanosuke at the Asakusaza.

1905: he was adopted by Ichikawa Sumizô V.

May 1905: Ichikawa Komanosuke took the name of Ichikawa Tôshô.

7 May 1906: his adoptive father Ichikawa Sumizô V died.

March 1907: Ichikawa Tôshô took the name of Ichikawa Sumizô VI.

September 1909: revival at the Meijiza of the drama "Kenuki", a long-forgotten play belonging to the Kabuki Jûhachiban; Sumizô played the role of Hata no Minbu [casting].

May 1910: revival at the Meijiza of the drama "Narukami", a long-forgotten play belonging to the Kabuki Jûhachiban; Sumizô played the role of the priest Kokuunbô (the "black cloud bonze") [casting].

May 1911: premiere at the Meijiza of the Okamoto Kidô's drama "Shuzenji Monogatari"; Sumizô played the role of Katsura [casting].

January 1914: revival at the Hongôza of the drama "Gedatsu", a long-forgotten play belonging to the Kabuki Jûhachiban; Sumizô played the role of Kawachiya Denbê [more details].

October 1914: premiere at the Meijiza of Okamoto Kidô's drama "Soga Monogatari"; Sumizô played the role of Echigo no Zenjibô [casting].

August 1915: the drama "Kaidan Chibusa no Enoki" revised by Enjirô was staged for the first time in Tôkyô, at the Kabukiza; Sumizô played the role of Matsui Saburô [casting].

September 1915: premiere at the Hongôza of Okamoto Kidô's drama "Toribeyama Shinjû"; Sumizô played the role of Sakata Genzaburô [casting].

February 1916: premiere at the Hongôza of Okamoto Kidô's drama "Banchô Sarayashiki"; Sumizô played the role of Hanaregoma Shirobê [casting].

August 1917: the play "Natsu Matsuri Naniwa Kagami" was produced at the Kabukiza for the first time; Sumizô played the role of Okaji [casting].

November 1920: premiere at the Meijiza of Okamoto Kidô's drama "Ogurusu no Chôbê"; Sumizô played the role of Horio Mosuke [casting].

6 May 1922: his master Ichikawa Kodanji V died.

February 1925: Katsu Hyôzô I's drama "Kachi Zumô Ukina no Hanabure", commonly called "Shirafuji Genta", was revived at the Hongôza, under the supervision of the writer Nagai Kafû; Sumizô played the roles of Tsugawa Mondo and Tsugawa Katsujirô [casting].

November 1929: revival at the Kabukiza of the drama "Kan U", a play belonging to the Kabuki Jûhachiban; Sumizô played the role of Kajiwara Heiji Kagetaka [casting].

April 1932: premiere at the Kabukiza of Mayama Seika's drama "Yoritomo no Shi"; Sumizô played the role of Hatakeyama Shigeyasu [casting]. Premiere at the Kabukiza of Mayama Seika's ninjômono drama "Edoe Ryôgoku Hakkei" (commonly called "Arakawa no Sakichi"); Sumizô played the role of Sumida no Seigorô [casting].

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

July 1934: premiere with a Kabuki troupe at the Kabukiza of Hasegawa Shin's 1928 drama "Kutsukake Tokijirô"; Sumizô played the role of the oyabun Hacchôtoku [more details].

January 1935: premiere at the Tôkyô Gekijô of "Edo-jô no Ninjô" and "Daini no Shisha", the first and second plays of Mayama Seika's cycle "Genroku Chûshingura"; Sumizô played the role of Lord Katô in the former drama and the role of Ushioda Matanojô in the latter drama [more details].

April 1935: premiere at the Tôkyô Gekijô of "Saigo no Daihyôjô", the third play of Mayama Seika's cycle "Genroku Chûshingura"; Sumizô played the role of Horibe Yasubê [casting].

November 1938: premiere at the Kabukiza of "Nanbuzaka no Yuki Wakare", the sixth play of Mayama Seika's cycle "Genroku Chûshingura"; Sumizô played the role of Hagura Itsuki [casting].

February 1939: premiere at the Tôkyô Gekijô of the second act of "Sengoku Yashiki", the ninth play of Mayama Seika's cycle "Genroku Chûshingura"; Sumizô played the role of the jôshi Suzuki Gengoemon [casting].

April 1939: premiere at the Kabukiza of "Fushimi Shumokumachi", the fourth play of Mayama Seika's cycle "Genroku Chûshingura"; Sumizô played the role of Matsunojô, later Ôishi Chikara [casting].

January 1940: premiere at the Tôkyô Gekijô of "Ohama Goten Tsunatoyo-kyô", the fifth play of Mayama Seika's cycle "Genroku Chûshingura"; Sumizô played the role of Arai Kageyu [casting].

February 1949: Ichikawa Sumizô VI and his nephew Ichikawa Danjirô respectively took the names of Ichikawa Jukai III and Ichikawa Sumizô VII at the Ôsaka Kabukiza; Jukai played the roles of Hosokawa Katsumoto, Hanakawado Sukeroku (in reality Soga Gorô Tokimune), Akita Jônosuke and Ômori Hikoshichi Morinaga in "Meiboku Sendai Hagi", "Sukeroku", "Takatoki" and "Ômori Hikoshichi". The roles of Ikyû, Agemaki and Shinbê in "Sukeroku" were played by Ichikawa Sanshô V, Nakamura Ganjirô II and Nakamura Tomijûrô IV.

June 1949: Ichikawa Jukai III and Ichikawa Sumizô VII celebrated their shûmei in Nagoya at the Misonoza; Jukai played the roles of Yagyû Matajûrô, the komusô Shirozô (in reality Mionoya Shirô Kunitoshi), Sasaki Moritsuna and Yosaburô in "Nikaigasa Yagyû Jikki" (the kôjô for this shûmei in Nagoya was staged within this drama!), "Shikorobiki", "Moritsuna Jin'ya" and "Kirare Yosa". The role of Otomi in "Kirare Yosa" was played by Onoe Kikujirô IV.

June 1949: Ichikawa Jukai III and Ichikawa Sumizô VII celebrated their shûmei in Kyôto at the Minamiza; Jukai played the roles of the komusô Shirozô (in reality Mionoya Shirô Kunitoshi), Ômori Hikoshichi Morinaga, Hosokawa Katsumoto and Heijirô (in reality Nezumi Kozô Jirokichi) in "Shikorobiki", "Ômori Hikoshichi", "Meiboku Sendai Hagi" and "Jirokichi Zange".

September 1950: Jukai played at the Ôsaka Kabukiza the roles of Oguri Hangan Kaneuji, Fukuoka Mitsugi, Shinkichi and Issun Tokubê in "Hime Kurabe Futaba Ezôshi", "Ise Ondo Koi no Netaba", "Shinkei Kasane-ga-Fuchi" and "Natsu Matsuri Naniwa Kagami", which were staged in a program commemorating the 16th anniversary (17th memorial service) of the passing away of late Kataoka Nizaemon XI. The roles of Danshichi Kurobê and Tsuribune Sabu in "Natsu Matsuri" were played by Kataoka Gatô IV and Bandô Minosuke VI.

July 1951: Ichikawa Jukai III, Ichikawa Sumizô VII and Ichikawa Raizô VIII celebrated their shûmei in Tôkyô at the Kabukiza; Jukai played the roles of Kimura Shigenari, Takechi Jûjirô Mitsuyoshi and Kikuchi Hankurô in "Kiri Hitoha", "Ehon Taikôki" and "Toribeyama Shinjû". The role of Osome in "Toribeyama Shinjû" was played by Nakamura Tomijûrô IV.

July 1952: premiere at the Kabukiza of Hôjô Hideji's drama "Kitsune to Fuefuki"; Jukai played the role of Harukata [casting].

March 1958: Jukai took part in the final Kabuki performance at the Ôsaka Kabukiza [more details].

1960: Jukai received the prestigious title of Living National Treasure (Ningen Kokuhô in Japanese). He was the first Kabuki actor to receive this title!

February 1967: Jukai appeared on stage in Ôsaka for the last time, playing at the Ôsaka Shinkabukiza the role of Sasaki Moritsuna in the drama "Moritsuna Jin'ya", which was staged in a program commemorating the 32th anniversary (33rd memorial service) of the passing away of late Nakamura Ganjirô I.

November 1967: Jukai played at the National Theatre the role of Kimura Shigenari in the drama "Kiri Hitoha".

December 1967: Jukai played at the Minamiza the role of Kikuchi Hankurô in the drama "Toribeyama Shinjû"; the role of Osome was played by Onoe Baikô VII.

December 1969: Jukai played at the Minamiza the role of Kudô Saemon Suketsune in the drama Kotobuki Soga no Taimen; the roles of Soga Gorô Tokimune, Soga Jûrô Sukenari, Kobayashi no Asahina, the courtesan Kewaizaka no Shôshô (Gorô's lover), the courtesan Ôiso no Tora (Jûrô's lover) and Oniô Shinzaemon (Jûrô's retainer) were played by Onoe Shôroku II, Nakamura Kanzaburô XVII, Bandô Mitsugorô VIII, Ichikawa Monnosuke VII, Nakamura Shikan VII and Kataoka Nizaemon XIII.

November 1970: Jukai played at the Kabukiza the role of Kudô Saemon Suketsune in the drama Kotobuki Soga no Taimen; the roles of Soga Gorô Tokimune, Soga Jûrô Sukenari, Kobayashi no Asahina, the courtesan Kewaizaka no Shôshô (Gorô's lover), the courtesan Ôiso no Tora (Jûrô's lover) and Oniô Shinzaemon (Jûrô's retainer) were played by Onoe Shôroku II, Nakamura Kanzaburô XVII, Bandô Mitsugorô VIII, Kataoka Gadô V, Nakamura Utaemon VI and Kataoka Nizaemon XIII.

December 1970: Jukai appeared on stage for the last time, in Kyôto at the Minamiza, where he played the role of the Shôgun Tokugawa Yoshinobu in the drama "Shôgun Edo o Saru".

3 April 1971: Jukai died.

Comments:

Ichikawa Jukai III was an outstanding tachiyaku actor, excelling in nimaime roles. From the end of the Meiji era to the first decade of the Shôwa era, he was an active member of the troupe led by Ichikawa Sadanji II, which was involved in the creations of many Shinkabuki dramas, written by playwrights like Mayama Seika or Okamoto Kidô. After the death of Ichikawa Sadanji II, he worked a lot with Ichikawa Ennosuke II for the creation of new plays. Then, he went to Ôsaka in 1943 and made a very successful duo with his stage partner Bandô Jusaburô III, which was nicknamed Futatsu Kotobuki, "The Two Kotobuki", because both actors had the ideogram Kotobuki (the meaning of this word is "congratulations" and another of its reading is Ju) in their first name. He was born in Tôkyô but spent enough time in the Kamigata Kabuki world to be labeled as a Kamigata actor. He became a great fukeyaku in his latter years.

Ichikawa Jukai III's best roles: Kataoka Naojirô ("Naozamurai"/"Kumo ni Magou Ueno no Hatsuhana"), Sasaki Moritsuna ("Moritsuna Jin'ya"), Hankurô ("Toribeyama Shinjû"), Kimura Shigenari ("Kiri Hitoha"), Tokugawa Tsunatoyo ("Ohama Goten"), Ki no Aritsune ("Hade Kurabe Ise Monogatari") and Minamoto no Yoriie ("Yoritomo no Shi").

Jukai was a haimyô used by both Ichikawa Danjûrô VII (Ichikawa Jukai I) and Ichikawa Danjûrô IX (Ichikawa Jukai II). Ichikawa Jukai III is in fact the first actor to really hold this name.

Ichikawa Jukai III playing the role of Kimura Shigenari in the drama "Kiri Hitoha" in a print made by Natori Shunsen

Prints & Illustrations

Print made by Hanayama

The Ichikawa Sumizô line of actors

The Ichikawa Jukai line of actors