Stage names:

Nakayama Kiraku I
Nakayama Shinkurô III
Nakayama Raisuke III
Nakayama Shinshichi
Nakayama Tatsuzô

Other name:

Nakayama Icchô III

Guild: Oriya

Line number: SHODAI (I)

Poetry names: Kiraku, Icchô (3), Sharyû, Shinji

Existence: 1761 ~ 25th day of the 10th lunar month of 1827 ^[1]

Connections:

Father: Nakayama Otojûrô

Master: Nakayama Bunshichi I

Son: Nakayama Shinkurô IV

Career:

1761: born in Ôsaka. He was the son of Nakayama Otojûrô, a low-ranking disciple of the star Nakayama Bunshichi I.

1781: he started his career in Ôsaka, performing under the name of Nakayama Tatsuzô in hama shibai.

2nd lunar month of 1794: he took the name of Nakayama Shinshichi at the Naka no Shibai, performing in Namiki Gohei I's drama "Shima Meguri Uso no Kikigaki".

4th lunar month of 1794: Shinshichi performed in Kyôto at the Nishi no Shibai in the drama "Wada Gassen Onna Maizuru".

5th lunar month of 1794: premiere at the Nishi no Shibai (Kyôto) of Namiki Gohei I's drama "Godairiki Koi no Fûjime"; Shinshichi played the role of Hachiemon [casting].

8th lunar month of 1796: Nakayama Shinshichi took the name of Nakayama Raisuke III at the Minamigawa no Shibai.

11th lunar month of 1802: Nakayama Raisuke III took the name of Nakayama Shinkurô III at the Kitagawa no Shibai, playing the role of Tsukuma Saemon in the drama "Fûryû Kokusen'ya", which was produced by Azuma Tomijirô; his stage partners were Ichikawa Danzô IV, Arashi Sangorô III, Arashi Kichisaburô II, Sawamura Kunitarô I, Yoshizawa Iroha I, Nakayama Bungorô I and Kanô Minshi I.

1st lunar month of 1808: premiere at the Naka no Shibai of Nagawa Tokusuke I's ni-no-kawari new year drama "Keisei Shina Sadame"; Shinkurô played the roles of Fuwa Banzaemon and Chishima no Kanja [casting].

9th lunar month of 1809: Shinkurô played at the Kado no Shibai the role of Mashiba Hisayoshi in the drama "Sanmon Gosan no Kiri", which was produced by Mimasu Kumesaburô; the role of Ishikawa Goemon was played by Kataoka Nizaemon VII.

11th lunar month of 1809: Shinkurô performed at the Kado no Shibai in the kaomise drama "Keishoku Yuki-miru Yama", which was produced by Mimasu Kumesaburô and starred Nakayama Hyakka, Yoshizawa Ayame V, Arashi Kichisaburô II, Asao Kuzaemon I, Nakamura Daikichi I, Kanô Minshi I and Asao Okuyama III.

11th lunar month of 1810: Shinkurô played at the Minamigawa no Shibai the roles of Mitsuhide and Kaheiji in Chikamatsu Tokuzô's drama "Sangoku Busô Yakko Ukejô".

22nd day of the 7th lunar month of 1813 ^[2]: his master Nakayama Bunshichi I died.

11th lunar month of 1816: Shinkurô played at the Naka no Shibai the role of Tosabô in the drama "Gosho Zakura Horikawa no Youchi".

8th lunar month of 1822: tour in Nagoya with the Edo star Iwai Hanshirô V, Bandô Jûtarô and Nakayama Icchô IV; they performed at the Tachibana no Shibai in "Ranjatai Nitta Keizu" and "Edo Murasaki Naniwa no Iroage".

1st lunar month of 1826: Nakayama Shinkurô III and his son Nakayama Icchô IV respectively took the names of Nakayama Kiraku I and Nakayama Shinkurô IV; Kiraku performed at the Kita-Horie Ichi-no-Gawa Shibai (Ôsaka) in the drama "Katakiuchi Ura no Asagiri".

4th lunar month of 1827: Kiraku appeared on stage for the last time, in Ôsaka at the Naka no Shibai, performing in the dramas "Ken Mawashi Sato no Daitsû" and "Kuni Namari Futaba no Oizuru".

25th day of the 10th lunar month of 1827 ^[1]: Kiraku died in Ôsaka.

Comments:

Nakayama Kiraku I was a tachiyaku actor, who spent all his career in Kamigata and was a specialist in jitsuaku (his first field of excellence), jitsugotoshi and budôgoto roles. He was famous for his great voice and for delivering his lines perfectly.

[1] The 25th day of the 10th lunar month of the 10th year of the Bunsei era was the 13th of December 1827 in the western calendar.

[2] The 22nd day of the 7th lunar month of the 10th year of the Bunka era was the 17th of August 1813 in the western calendar.

Nakayama Kiraku I (top/2nd from left) performing in the drama "Ken Mawashi Sato no Daitsû", which was staged in the 4th lunar month of 1827 at the Naka no Shibai

The others actors were Arashi Kitsusaburô II (top/1st from left), Sawamura Kunitarô II (bottom/1st from left), Asao Gakujûrô (bottom/1st from right), Arashi Tomisaburô II (top/2nd from right) and Ôtani Tomoemon II (top/1st from right)

Prints & Illustrations

The Nakayama Icchô line of actors

The Nakayama Raisuke line of actors

The Nakayama Shinkurô line of actors

The Nakayama Kiraku line of actors