NAKAMURA KANZABURÔ XVIII

May 1964: premiere at the Kabukiza of Hagiwara Yukio's Nagauta-based dance-drama "Bukaku Setsugekka"; Kankurô plays the role of the little insect [casting].

January 1966: Kankurô plays at the Kabukiza the role of Sankichi in the "Shigenoi Kowakare" scene of the drama "Koi Nyôbô Somewake Tazuna"; the role of Shigenoi is played by Onoe Baikô VII.

March 1977: revival at the National Theatre of Kawatake Shinshichi II's drama "Shiranui Monogatari"; Kankurô plays the roles of the koshimoto Teruha and Oiso [more details].

January 1980: Kankurô takes part in the first Kabuki performances at the Asakusa Kôkaidô [more details].

April 1988: Kankurô plays for the first time the role of the hairdresser Shinza in the play "Kamiyui Shinza" which is performed at the National Theatre. His father Nakamura Kanzaburô XVII dies the 16th of April.

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 Shinbashi Enbujô; Kankurô plays the role of San'yûtei Enchô [casting].

August 1990: revival at the Kabukiza of the kaidanmono "Kaidan Chibusa no Enoki"; Kankurô plays the roles of Hishikawa Shigenobu, the ghost of Shigenobu, the servant Shôsuke and Uwabami no Sanji [casting].

May~June 1994: first edition of the Cocoon Kabuki, which is staged at the Shibuya Bunkamura Theatre Cocoon and recreates the atmosphere of the Edo koshibai and brings the actors closer to the audience. The play "Tôkaidô Yotsuya Kaidan" is coproduced by Kankurô and the playwright Kushida Kazuyoshi; Kankurô plays the roles of Oiwa, Satô Yomoshichi and Kobotoke Kohei [more details].

August 1996: revival at the Kabukiza of Hôjô Hideji's drama "Korikori Banashi"; Kankurô plays the role of Inosuke [more details].

August~September 1996: second edition of the Cocoon Kabuki with the production of "Natsu Matsuri Naniwa Kagami"; Kankurô plays the roles of Danshichi Kurobê and Tokubê's wife Otatsu [more details].

September 1998: third edition of the Cocoon Kabuki with the production of "Kamikakete Sango Taisetsu"; Kankurô plays (in turns with Nakamura Hashinosuke) the roles of Sasanoya Sangorô or Satsuma Gengobê [more details].

November 2000: Kankurô supervises the construction of a temporary Theater in the district of Asakusa in Tôkyô, called Heisei Nakamuraza (the Nakamuraza of the Heisei Era), and produces the play "Sumidagawa Gonichi no Omokage" (commonly called "Hôkaibô").

1 January 2001: Kankurô and his 2 sons perform in the dance "Renjishi" at the break of New Year in Naruto, east of Tôkyô, on a temporary stage built on the shore of the Kujukuri Beach.

June 2001: 4th edition of the Cocoon Kabuki with the production of "Sannin Kichisa"; Kankurô plays the role of Oshô Kichisa [more details].

August 2001: Kankurô and the noted modern theatre director Noda Hideki present for the 12th edition of Nakamura Kankurô's summer program at the Kabukiza a modern version of the drama "Togidatsu no Utare". The performance is a great success and, unusual fact in the Kabuki world, ends with a standing ovation.

November 2001: second edition of the Heisei Nakamuraza in Asakusa. Kankurô produces the play "Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura" in which he plays 3 great roles: Taira no Tomomori, Igami no Gonta and the fox Tadanobu/Genkurô.

November 2002: third edition of the Heisei Nakamuraza, staged in Ôsaka for the first time; Kankurô produces the plays "Natsu Matsuri Naniwa Kagami" and "Sumidagawa Gonichi no Omokage".

June 2003: 5th edition of the Cocoon Kabuki with the production of "Natsu Matsuri Naniwa Kagami"; Kankurô plays the roles of Danshichi Kurobê and Tokubê's wife Otatsu [more details].

October 2003: fourth edition of the Heisei Nakamuraza; Kankurô produces the dramas "Kagamiyama Gonichi no Iwafuji", "Benten Musume Meo no Shiranami" (the "Hamamatsuya" and "Inasegawa" scenes), "Ninjô Banashi Bunshichi Mottoi" and the dance "Kitsunebi".

July 2004: Fifth edition of the Heisei Nakamuraza, staged abroad for the first time; Kankurô and his troupe (including Nakamura Hashinosuke, Nakamura Senjaku, Bandô Yajûrô, Kataoka Kamezô and Nakamura Shichinosuke) perform in Boston (8~10 July, Cutler Majestic Theatre), New York City (17~25 July, Lincoln Center) and Washington DC (28 July, Warner Theater). In Boston and Washington, the troupe presents the dances "Bô Shibari" and "Renjishi". In New York, an Edo 545-seat traditional theater is built within the Lincoln Center and the troupe presents the great Kamigata drama "Natsu Matsuri Naniwa Kagami" [more details].

March 2005: Nakamura Kankurô V takes the name of Nakamura Kanzaburô XVIII at the Kabukiza, playing the roles of Yoshioka Kiichi Hôgen, Sasaki Moritsuna and the sardine seller in the drama "Ichijô Ôkura Monogatari", "Moritsuna Jin'ya" and "Iwashi Uri Koi no Hikiami".

April 2005: Kanzaburô celebrates his second month of shûmei at the Kabukiza, playing the roles of the shirabyôshi Hanako, Kingorô and Sano Jirôzaemon in "Kyôganoko Musume Dôjôji", "Kirare Yosa" and "Kagotsurube Sato no Eizame".

May 2005: Kanzaburô celebrates his third month of shûmei at the Kabukiza, playing the roles of the Saruwakaza's zamoto, the hairdresser Shinza and Moriyama Tatsuji in "Iya Sakae Shibai no Nigiwai", "Kamiyui Shinza" and "Noda-ban Togitatsu no Utare".

June 2005: 6th edition of the Cocoon Kabuki ... the first one without Kanzaburô, who prefers to have a rest after 3 months of shûmei [more details].

July 2005: Kanzaburô celebrates his shûmei in Ôsaka at the Shôchikuza, playing the roles of the Wisteria Maiden, Heisaku, Ôe Hiromoto and Moriyama Tatsuji in the dramas "Fuji Musume", "Numazu", "Miyajima no Danmari" and "Noda-ban Togitatsu no Utare".

October 2005: Kanzaburô celebrates his shûmei in Nagoya at the Misonoza, playing the roles of the father lion and Benten Kozô in "Renjishi" and "Aoto Zôshi Hana no Nishikie".

March~April 2006: 7th edition of the Cocoon Kabuki with the production (in two different programs) of "Tôkaidô Yotsuya Kaidan"; Kanzaburô plays the roles of Oiwa/Satô Yomoshichi/Kobotoke Kohei or Oiwa/Naosuke Gonbê [more details].

June 2006: Kanzaburô celebrates his shûmei in Fukuoka at the Hakataza, playing the roles of the spirit of the Lion, Chôbê and Benten Kozô in the dramas "Renjishi", "Bunshichi Mottoi" and "Benten Musume".

July 2006: Kanzaburô celebrates his shûmei in the Eastern Provinces, playing the roles of Ukyô and Gonta in "Migawari Zazen" and "Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura".

September 2006: Kanzaburô celebrates his shûmei in the Western Provinces, playing the roles of Ukyô and Gonta in "Migawari Zazen" and "Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura".

December 2006: Kanzaburô celebrates his shûmei in Kyôto at the Minamiza, playing the roles of Tadanobu and the shirabyôshi Hanako in the drama "Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura" and the dance "Musume Dôjôji".

June 2007: 8th edition of the Cocoon Kabuki with the production of "Sannin Kichisa"; Kanzaburô plays the role of Oshô Kichisa [more details].

July 2007: second Heisei Nakamuraza tour in the USA, in New York (Lincoln Center, 16~22 July) and Washington (Warner Theatre, 26 July); Kanzaburô plays in New York the roles of the Lion father and Hôkaibô in "Renjishi" and "Sumidagawa Gonichi no Omokage". He also plays in Washington the roles of Togashi Saemon and Ukyô in "Kanjinchô" and "Migawari Zazen" [more details].

May~June 2008: first Heisei Nakamuraza tour in Europe, in Berlin at the The House of World Cultures (Germany) from the 14th to the 21st of May 2008 and in Sibiu (Rumania) from the 29th of May to the 1st of June 2008 for the International Theatre Festival; Kanzaburô plays the role of Danshichi Kurobê in the drama "Natsu Matsuri Naniwa Kagami" [casting].

June 2008: 9th edition of the Cocoon Kabuki with the production of "Natsu Matsuri Naniwa Kagami"; Kanzaburô plays the role of Danshichi Kurobê [more details].

July 2008: first edition of the Heisei Nakamuraza in Matsumoto (Nagano Prefecture); Kanzaburô produces at the Matsumoto Performing Arts Centre the drama "Natsu Matsuri Naniwa Kagami" with the same casting as the tour in Europe [more details].

October 2008: fifth edition of the Heisei Nakamuraza in Tôkyô, in the district of Asakusa, close to the banks of the Sumida River; Kanzaburô produces for the first time the classic "Kanadehon Chûshingura", in four different programs with the very rare production of the second act of this drama in one program (the "Rikiya Jôshi" and "Matsukiri" scenes). This edition stars for the very first time Kataoka Nizaemon; Kanzaburô plays the roles of En'ya Hangan, Hayano Kanpei, Hattori Itsurô, Tonase and Genroku [more details].

November 2008: sixth edition of the Heisei Nakamuraza in Tôkyô, in the district of Asakusa, close to the banks of the Sumida River; Kanzaburô produces the drama "Sumidagawa Gonichi no Omokage" (commonly called "Hôkaibô") in which he plays the role of Hôkaibô [more details].

July 2009: 10th edition of the Cocoon Kabuki [more details].

September 2009: Heisei Nakamuraza in Nagoya [more details].

June 2010: 11th edition of the Cocoon Kabuki [more details].

July 2010: Heisei Nakamuraza in Matsumoto [more details].

May 2012: Kanzaburô appears on stage for the last time, at the Heisei Nakamuraza, where he plays the roles of Tatsugorô and Shinza in "Megumi no Kenka" and "Kamiyui Shinza". He also leads a special kôjô (stage announcement) within the dance "Shigayama Sanbasô".

5th December 2012: Kanzaburô dies in Tôkyô.

Comments:

Nakamura Kanzaburô XVIII was one of the most popular and dynamic actors of the 21st Century. He unfortunately passed away at the age of 57.

"Kanzaburô is particularly adept at portraying good characters who are driven insane by rage, jealousy or the trauma of tragic circumstances and, whether he is playing historical heroes or Edo-period commoners, he always manages to incorporate an element of surprise and suspense. However, Kabuki accounts for only part of Kankurô's work. He also acts in musicals and comedies and can sometimes be seen in commercials." (from an article written by Jean Wilson for the website Metropolis)

Interesting pages:

Official website

Interview

Kanzaburô's Furoshiki

Nakamura Kanzaburô XVIII playing the role of Tenuguiya Inosuke in the drama "Korikori Banashi" (from the playbill of the Akasaka Grand Kabuki in September 2008)

The Nakamura Kankurô line of actors

The Nakamura Kanzaburô line of actors and theater managers

A great article about Nakamura Kanzaburô XVIII