ONOE KIKUGORÔ VII

Stage names:

Onoe Kikugorô VII
Onoe Kikunosuke IV
Onoe Ushinosuke V

Real name: Terashima Hideyuki

Guild: Otowaya

Line number: SHICHIDAIME (VII)

Poetry name: Sanchô

Birthday: 2 October 1942

Connections:

Father: Onoe Baikô VII

Brother: Onoe Einosuke II

Son: Onoe Kikunosuke V

Grandsons: Onoe Ushinosuke VII, Onoe Maholo

Career:

April 1948: he made his first appearance on stage at the Shinbashi Enbujô, where he received the name of Onoe Ushinosuke V and played a kamuro role in the drama "Sukeroku".

September 1962: Ushinosuke played for the first time the role of Sakuramaru in the "Kurumabiki" scene of the classic "Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami", which was staged at the Tôyoko Hall; his stage partners were Ichikawa Omezô V (Matsuômaru) and Bandô Kamesaburô IV (Umeômaru).

January 1964: Ushinosuke played at the Tôyoko Hall the roles of Soga Jûrô and Yoshitsune in the dramas "Kotobuki Soga no Taimen" and "Kanjinchô"; his stage partners in "Kanjinchô" were Ichikawa Shinnosuke VI (Benkei) and Onoe Sakon I (Togashi).

May 1965: shûmei at the Kabukiza for 3 young actors of the Otowaya guild; Onoe Ushinosuke V, Bandô Kamesaburô IV and Onoe Sakon I respectively took the names of Onoe Kikunosuke IV, Bandô Shinsui VIII, and Onoe Tatsunosuke I. The new Kikunosuke played the roles of Soga Jûrô and Matsu-no-Kimi in the dramas "Kotobuki Soga no Taimen" and "Kimi-ga-Yo Shôchikubai".

June 1965: Kikunosuke played for the first time the role of Benten Kozô Kikunosuke in the drama "Shiranami Gonin no Otoko", which was staged at the Tôyoko Hall.

October 1965: Kikunosuke took part in the first Kabuki tour in Western Europe; he played the roles of Rikiya and a butterfly in the drama "Kanadehon Chûshingura" and the dance "Kagami Jishi" [casting].

1966: he grew in popularity with his performance in the TV drama "Minamoto Yoshitsune" produced by the National TV network NHK. The threesome called the "Three Suke" (san no suke in Japanese), made up of Ichikawa Shinnosuke VI, Onoe Tatsunosuke I and Kikunosuke, started to bring large audience in the theaters for their performances.

May 1966: Kikunosuke played at the Kabukiza the role of princess Minazuru in the drama "Kikubatake".

September 1966: Kikunosuke played at the Kabukiza the role of Otomi in the drama "Yowa Nasake Ukina no Yokogushi"; the role of Yosaburô was played by Ichikawa Shinnosuke VI.

January 1967: Kikunosuke played at the Tôyoko Hall the roles of Hanako and Satsuki in the dance "Kyôganoko Musume Dôjôji" and the play "Gosho no Gorozô".

October 1967: Kikunosuke played for the first time the role of the princess Yaegaki in the classic "Honchô Nijûshikô" ("Jusshukô"), which was staged at the Tôkyô Gekijô; his stage partners in the roles of Nureginu and Katsuyori were Ichikawa Monnosuke VII and Ichikawa Shinnosuke VI.

January 1968: Kikunosuke played at the Tôyoko Hall the role of Ojô Kichisa in the drama "Sannin Kichisa"; his stage partners were Onoe Tatsunosuke I (Obô Kichisa) and Ichikawa Shinnosuke VI (Oshô Kichisa).

February 1968: Kikunosuke played at the Kabukiza the difficult role of princess Toki in the drama "Kamakura Sandaiki".

April 1971: revival at the National Theatre of Nagawa Shimesuke I's drama "Sumidagawa Gonichi no Omokage"; Kikunosuke played the role of the Eirakuya tedai Yôsuke, in reality Yoshida Matsuwaka [casting].

May 1973: Kikunosuke played for the first time, at the Kabukiza, the role of Kasane in the dance "Iro Moyô Chotto Karimame"; the role of Yoemon was played by Ichikawa Ebizô X.

June 1973: revival at the National Theatre of Tsuruya Nanboku IV and Sakurada Jisuke II drama "Kokoro no Nazo Toketa Iroito"; Kikunosuke played the role of Ofusa [casting].

October 1973: Onoe Kikunosuke IV took the prestigious name of Onoe Kikugorô VII at the Kabukiza, playing the roles of the shirabyôshi Hanako and Benten Kozô in the dance "Kyôganoko Musume Dôjôji" and the play "Shiranami Gonin Otoko".

November 1973: Kikugorô celebrated his second month of shûmei at the Kabukiza, playing the roles of Sukerouku and princess Yaegaki in the dramas "Sukeroku Kuruwa no Momoyogusa" and "Honchô Nijûshikô" ("Jusshukô").

January 1974: Kikugorô played at the National Theatre the colorful and bombastic role of Tomoe Gozen in the drama "Onna Shibaraku".

February 1974: Kikugorô played at the Kabukiza the role of the courtesan Yaegiri in the drama "Komochi Yamanba".

May 1974: Kikugorô celebrated his shûmei at the Ôsaka Shinkabukiza, playing the roles of Sukeroku and Princess Sarashina in the drama "Sukeroku Kuruwa no Momoyogusa" and the dance "Momijigari".

October 1974: Kikugorô celebrated his shûmei in Nagoya at the Misonoza, playing the roles of Benten Kozô and the shirabyôshi Hanako in the drama "Shiranami Gonin Otoko" and the dance "Kyôganoko Musume Dôjôji".

December 1974: Kikugorô celebrated his shûmei in Kyôto at the Minamiza, playing the roles of the spirit of the Lion and Tomoe Gozen in the dance "Kagami jishi" and the drama "Onna Shibaraku".

March 1975: revival at the National Theatre of Kawatake Shinshichi II's drama "Jiraiya Gôketsu Monogatari"; Kikugorô played the role of Jiraiya [casting].

February 1976: revival at the Kabukiza of a 5-act revised version of Funahashi Seiichi's drama "Ejima Ikushima"; Kikugorô played the role of Ohatsu, later the chûrô Ejima [casting]. He also played for the first time the difficult role of Omiwa in the "Mikasayama Goten" scene of the classic "Imoseyama Onna Teikin".

March 1977: revival at the National Theatre of Kawatake Shinshichi II's drama "Shiranui Monogatari"; Kikugorô played the role of Toriyama Inuchiyo (later Toriyama Akisaku) [more details].

February 1978: premiere at the Kabukiza of Ikenami Shôtarô's drama "Aibiki no Onna"; Kikugorô played the role of the Chôenji young bonze Kakujun [more details]. He also played for the first time the role of Sakuramaru in the "Ga no Iwai" scene of the classic "Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami"; the role of Yae was played by Ichimura Manjirô.

November 1979: Kikugorô played for the first time, at the Kabukiza, the role of Yoemon in the dance "Iro Moyô Chotto Karimame"; the role of Kasane was played by his father Onoe Baikô VII.

January 1980: revival at the National Theatre of Tsuruya Nanboku IV's kaomise drama "Modoribashi Sena-ni Gohiiki" [more details]; Kikugorô played the roles of the Spirit of the Earth Spider and Oiwa (in reality the Spirit of the Earth Spider).

March 1981: revival at the National Theatre of Kawatake Mokuami's drama "Jitsugetsusei Kyôwa Seidan"; Kikugorô played the roles of the travelling actor Miyagawa Ushinosuke (later the priest Enmeiin Nittô) and the hinin Oguri no Umakichi [casting].

October 1982: Kikugorô played for the first time, at the Kabukiza, the role of Matsuwaka in the drama "Miyakodori Nagare no Shiranami".

December 1985: Kikugorô played for the first time, at the Kabukiza, the role of Naojirô in the drama "Yuki no Yûbe Iriya no Azemichi"; the role of the courtesan Michitose was played by Sawamura Sôjûrô IX.

January 1986: Kikugorô played at the National Theatre the roles of Hanaregoma Chôkichi, Yamazakiya Yogorô and Jûjibê in the drama "Futatsu Chôchô Kuruwa Nikki".

June 1986: Kikugorô played for the first time the role of Igami no Gonta in the "Sushiya" scene of the classic "Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura", which was staged at the Kabukiza.

September 1988: tour in South Korea.

February 1989: Kikugorô played for the first time, at the Kabukiza, the role of Sôgorô in the drama " Sakanaya Sôgorô ".

March 1991: Kikugorô played for the first time, at the Misonoza (Nagoya), the role of Gorozô in the drama "Gosho no Gorozô".

November 1992: 3 generations of actors belonging to the Otowaya guild, (Onoe Baikô VII, Kikugorô and Onoe Ushinosuke VI) performed together at the Kabukiza in the dance "Sannin Dôjôji".

May 1994: Kikugorô played for the first time, at the Kabukiza, the role of the wicked hair-dresser Shinza in the drama "Kamiyui Shinza".

November 1995: Kikugorô played for the first time, at the Kabukiza, the role of Chôbê in the drama "Ninjô Banashi Bunshichi Mottoi".

February 1997: the Kabukiza celebrated the 2nd anniversary (3rd memorial service) of the passing away of Onoe Baikô VII; Kikugorô played the roles of Yoshitsune, Tonase and Yasuna in "Kanjinchô", "Yamashina Kankyo" and "Yasuna".

October 1999: Kikugorô played for the first time the role of Tenjiku Tokubê in the drama "Oto ni Kiku Tenjiku Tokubê", which was staged at the National Theatre. Tokubê was a role which belonged to the Otowaya guild. It was performed for the first time by Onoe Matsusuke I in the 7th lunar month of 1804.

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

December 2000: revival at the National Theatre of Namiki Gohei I's drama "Tomioka Koi no Yamabiraki", which has not been staged for 77 years; Kikugorô played the role of Tamaya Shinbê.

15 December 2000: Kikugorô joins the prestigious Japan Art Academy (Nihon Geijutsuin).

March 2001: Kikugorô played at the Shinbashi Enbujô the roles of En'ya Hangan and Hayano Kanpei 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 both Onoe Shôroku II and Onoe Baikô VII.

January 2002: the National Theatre produced the revival of Kawatake Shinshichi II's drama "Koharunagi Okitsu Shiranami", which has not been played in its full length since 11th lunar month of 1864; Kikugorô played the role of the wizard and thief Kogitsune Reizaburô [casting].

June 2003: Kikugorô received the prestigious title of Living National Treasure (Ningen Kokuhô in Japanese).

January 2008: revival at the National Theatre of Sakurada Jisuke I's kaomise drama "Komachi-mura Shibai no Shôgatsu"; Kikugorô played the roles of Ôtomo no Kuronushi, Fukakusa no Shôshô and Yanagihara Goromata [more details].

March 2009: Kabuki adaptation by the famous stage director Ninagawa Yukio of Shakespeare’s "Twelfth Night", which was entitled "Ninagawa Jûniya", from the 24th to the 28th of March 2009 in London (UK) at the Barbican Theater; Kikugorô played the roles of Maruo Bôdayû (Malvolio) and Sutesuke (Feste) [more details]. The same play was staged with the same casting in June 2009 at the Shinbashi Enbujô and in July 2009 at the Shôchikuza.

January 2010: revival at the National Theatre of Namiki Gohei's long-forgotten drama "Keisei Kogane no Shachihoko", which was revised and entitled "Asahi-ni Kagayaku Kin no Shachihoko"; it was staged to commemorate the 400-year anniversary of the establishment of the city of Nagoya; Kikugorô played the roles of the tôzoku Kakinoki Kinsuke, the chokushi Nangû Sachûjô Tomoaki (in reality Kakinoki Kinsuke) and Kaneda Kindayû (in reality Kakinoki Kinsuke) [more details | casting].

January 2014: premiere at the National Theatre of "Sanzen Ryô Haru no Komahiki", a revival of Tatsuoka Mansaku's 1794 drama "Keisei Haru no Tori"; Kikugorô played the role of Oda Sanshichirô Nobutaka [more details].

November 2014: the Annual Festive Face-Showing Grand Kabuki at the Kabukiza commemorated the 32nd anniversary (33rd memorial service) of the passing away of Matsumoto Hakuô I. His two sons, Matsumoto Kôshirô and Living National Treasure Nakamura Kichiemon, were the zagashira [more details].

January 2019: revival at the National Theatre of Namiki Gohei I's 1779 drama "Sode Nikki Banshû Meguri"; this Otowaya-powered revision was entitled "Himeji-jô Oto-ni Kiku Sono Ishizue"; Kikugorô played the roles of Innami Naizen and Akamatsu Hikojirô Noriyasu [casting | more details].

Comments:

Onoe Kikugorô VII is an amazing kaneru yakusha, one of the best and popular contemporary actors.

"Kikugorô VII benefits from a combination of good looks and physical strength that allows him to perform equally well men and women. He can shine as both Otomi and Yosaburô in "Yowa Nasake Ukina no Yokogushi", or play either Sukeroku or Agemaki in "Sukeroku Yukari no Edo Zakura", a feat few others can match." (Samuel Leiter in "New Kabuki Encyclopedia")

His wife is the famous movie actress Fuji Junko.

Prints & Illustrations

Print made by Tsuruya Kôkei in 1990

The Onoe Ushinosuke line of actors

The Onoe Kikunosuke line of actors

The Onoe Kikugorô line of actors