| NEWS FROM THE KABUKI WORLD 2020 |
| 31 December 2020 |
The two programs for the February 2021 Grand Kabuki performances at the Kabukiza, have been published [more details]. There will be 3 Living National Treasures on stage: Kataoka Nizaemon, Bandô Tamasaburô and Nakamura Tôzô. The highlights will be:
The two programs for the February Young Actors Kabuki Performances in February 2021 in Fukuoka at the Hakataza have been published [more details]. The troupe will be led by Matsumoto Kôshirô, who will play the roles of Lord Matsuura, Lord Tsunatoyo and a man of the Genroku era in "Matsuura no Taiko", "Ohama Goten" and "Genroku Hanami Odori". A troupe of young actors will perform in March 2021 in Kyôto at the Minamiza [more details]. Ichikawa Ebizô will perform in April 2021 in Nagoya at the Misonoza [more details]. As reported previously, there won't be any Kabuki performance in January 2021 in Tôkyô at the Asakusa Kôkaidô. The troupe of young actors will instead perform in "Kotohogite Hanagata Tsudou Hashiradate", literally 'Auspicious Ceremony of Building the First Pillar enacted by Young Stars', a sogamono newly-created drama. It is interesting to note that the two ideograms used for Asakusa have been integrated within this newly-created title. The 2nd edition of the Yû no Kai, a gala which stars Ôtani Keizô and his son Ôtani Ryûsei, will happen the 23rd of February 2021 at the Nagame Yokyôjô (Nagame Entertainment Theater), a traditional wooden-built theater (1937) in the city of Midori in Gunma Prefecture. It was expected to happen the 12th of April 2020 but it was postponed due to the COVID-19 crisis [more details]. Short videos with English subtitles of Kabuki performances in November 2020 at the Kabukiza have been uploaded on the Shôchiku Official YouTube Channel:
Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the three main Kabuki tours, the tours in the eastern and central Provinces (usually in July) and the tour in the western provinces (usually in September), will not happen in 2021. Matsumoto Kingo received the 17th of December 2020 the Cultural Affairs Commissioner Award (Bunka Chôkan Hyôshô in Japanese). Cinema Kabuki was expected to be screened in Bangkok the 23rd of December 2020 with English and Thai subtitles in a venue called Icon Cineconic (6th floor of ICONSIAM). The two Shinema Kabuki ("Cinema Kabuki") movies were "Rakuda" and "Renjishi", both starring late Nakamura Kanzaburô XVIII. Unfortunately, due to the spread of coronavirus in Bangkok city in December, this event was cancelled. |
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| 30 November 2020 |
Obituary: Living National Treasure Sakata Tôjûrô IV passed away the 12th of November 2020. This is a heavy loss for the Kabuki world, especially for Kamigata Kabuki and the wagoto style.
Fukumori Kyûsuke I's kaomise drama "Shitennô Oedo no Kaburaya", which was premiered in the 11th lunar month of 1815 in Edo at the Nakamuraza and was revived ten years ago in January 2011 at the National Theatre [more details], will be revived for the second time at the National Theatre. The troupe will be led by Living National Treasure Onoe Kikugorô [more details]. The sanbusei tripartite system, which used to be used only in August in the pre-COVID-19 times, will be used every month in 2021 [more details]. The three programs for the New Year Kabuki Performances at the Kabukiza in January 2021 have been published [more details]. "Yûgiri Nagori no Shôgatsu" will be staged in memory of late Living National Treasure Sakata Tôjûrô IV. His two sons Nakamura Ganjirô and Nakamura Senjaku will play the roles of Fujiya Izaemon and Ôgiya Yûgiri. Others highlights will be:
The program for the New Year Kabuki Performances at the Shinbashi Enbujô in January 2021 have been published [more details]. The zagashira will be as usual Ichikawa Ebizô and the program will no more be called Hatsuharu Kabuki Kôen ('Early Spring Kabuki Performances') but Hatsuharu Ebizô Kôen ('Early Spring Ebizô Performances'). Living National Treasure Bandô Tamasaburô will perform in January 2021 in Ôsaka at the Shôchikuza [more details]. What I like about kabuki? This question has been asked by the Shôchiku Company to the foreign people who are interested in the art of Kabuki. It is possible to answer the question on the FB post dedicated to this survey or on a form on the Shôchiku website. The application limit will be the 13th of December 2020 11:59PM (JST).
The UK-based Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation will host a web live event the 10th of December 2020 at 1PM (GMT). This event will be a webinar featuring Matsumoto Kôshirô and entitled 'Kabuki: Matsumoto Kôshirô X on Tradition and Innovation'. It will be free but booking in advance is mandatory [more details]. Living National Treasure Bandô Tamasaburô will not perform at the Kabukiza for seven days from the 1st to the 7th of December 2020. It was reported that he was in close contact with a person infected with coronavirus. He will be back on stage from the 9th of December 2020. He will be replaced in "Orochi Taiji":
Living National Treasure Kataoka Nizaemon will not perform at the Minamiza the 5th and the 6th of December 2020. It was reported that he was in close contact with a person infected with coronavirus. He should be back on stage the 7th of December. It will be more complicated for his son Kataoka Takatarô, who has been infected with coronavirus. He won't perform for a while but we don't know when he will be back on stage in December. Both actors will be replaced in "Kumagai Jin'ya":
Short videos with English subtitles of Kabuki performances in October 2020 at the Kabukiza have been uploaded on the Shôchiku Official YouTube Channel:
Ichikawa Kôtarô will perform the 13th of December 2020 in a special program entitled "Fueki Ryûkô" mixing Kyôgen and Kabuki with Kabuki actors and the kyôgenshi Zenchiku Jûrô and Zenchiku Daijirô. This performance will be streamed online through the streaming service e+ Streaming+:
The Kabuki adaptation of Miyazaki Hayao’s masterpiece "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind" [manga | movie] was the big event one year ago, when it was successfully staged in December 2019 at the Shinbashi Enbujô with Onoe Kikunosuke and Nakamura Shichinosuke in the roles of Nausicaä and Kushana. The DVD or Blu-Ray packages, with 6 hours of 'Ghibli Kabuki', will be released the 20th of January 2021 [more details]. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, there won't be any Sistine Kabuki in February 2021 in Naruto at the Ôtsuka Museum of Art [more details]. A special Christmas edition of the Ken no Kai gala, which stars Onoe Kikugorô VI's great-grandson Onoe Ukon and which will be simply entitled 'Christmas Party', will happen the 24th and the 25th of December 2020 in Tôkyô at the Cerulean Tower Nô Theater [the flyer of the event]. The young actor will perform in "Fuji Musume" and in a number entitled "Kakushi ~ ONU". Prior to Kyôto's year-end kaomise Kabuki performances from the 5th to the 19th of December 2020 [more details], the maneki kanban boards featuring the names of Kabuki performers appearing in the show and which will be placed over the front of the Minamiza on a huge takeyarai (upcoming maneki-age ceremony), were made (maneki-kaki) by the calligrapher Inoue Gyokusei at the Myôdenji temple in Kyôto the 6th of November 2020. The calligrapher soaked his brush in special ink mixed with sake for the purpose of purification and glossing, and wrote the names all actors with strong strokes in kanteiryû characters [pictures and more details in Japanese].
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| 31 October 2020 |
Obituary: Onoe Kikujûrô IV (1932~2020), a disciple of Living National Treasure Onoe Kikugorô, passed away of heart failure the 24th of September 2020. He appeared on stage for the last time in October 2018 at the Kabukiza, where he played the role of Otetsu in the drama "Sukeroku". The three programs for the traditional yearly kaomise in Kyôto at the Minamiza have been published. The troupe will be led by Living National Treasure Kataoka Nizaemon, who will play the prestigious role of Kumagai Jirô Naozane in "Kumagai Jin'ya". The others highlits will be "Domo Mata" with Nakamura Ganjirô (Matahei) and Nakamura Senjaku (Otoku) and "Yoshidaya" with Matsumoto Kôshirô (Izaemon) and Nakamura Kazutarô (Yûgiri) [more details]. There will be Kabuki kaomise performances in November 2020 in Tôkyô at the Kabukiza. There won't be the usual two programs but FOUR programs just like in September 2020 or October 2020. Each program will be limited to one drama or one dance-drama [more details]. There will be Grand Kabuki performances in December 2020 in Tôkyô at the Kabukiza. There won't be the usual two programs but FOUR programs just like in September 2020 or October 2020. Each program will be limited to one drama or one dance-drama [more details]. The second Grand Kabuki performances at the National Theatre since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis will happen in November 2020 with the staging of two programs and a troupe led by Living National Treasures Nakamura Kichiemon and Kataoka Nizaemon. There will also be the first stage apperance of Nakamura Tokizô's grandson and Nakamura Baishi's son Ogawa Hiroharu, who will play the role of the child Yasomatsu in "Keya-mura" [more details]. The third Grand Kabuki performances at the National Theatre since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis will happen in December 2020. There will be two programs, with Kawatake Mokuami's masterpieces "Sannin Kichisa" and "Kôchiyama", and the stars will be Matsumoto Hakuô, Nakamura Shikan, Nakamura Tokizô, Nakamura Baigyoku, Nakamura Fukusuke, Bandô Yajûrô and Onoe Shôroku [more details]. The Zenshinza troupe will perform in January 2021 in Kyôto at the Minamiza [more details]. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, there won't be any Grand Kabuki in November 2020 at the Eirakukan, a renovated traditional theater built in the city of Toyooka (prefecture of Hyôgo) [more details]. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, there won't be any Grand Kabuki in January 2021 in Ôsaka at the Shôchikuza [more details]. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, there won't be any Grand Kabuki in January 2021 in Tôkyô at the Asakusa Kôkaidô [more details]. The Duty of Remembrance: The 18th of October 2020, we could have celebrated the 250th anniversary of the passing away of Sawamura Sôjûrô II (1713~1820). This actor died the 30th day of the 8th lunar month of the 7th year of the Meiwa era, which was the 18th of October 1770 in the western calendar. |
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| 30 September 2020 |
There will be Kabuki performances in Kyôto at the Minamiza in December 2020. First Kabuki performances in this city since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis. It will be staged from the 5th to the 19th of December. There will be Kabuki performances in October 2020 in Tôkyô at the Kabukiza. There won't be the usual two programs but FOUR programs just like in September 2020. Each program will be limited to one drama or one dance-drama [more details]. The highlight is likely to be the 3rd program with Living National Treasure Kataoka Nizaemon performing the prestigious role of Kajiwara in "Ishikiri Kajiwara". The first Grand Kabuki performances at the National Theatre since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis will happen in October 2020
with the staging of two programs and a troupe led by Living National Treasure Onoe Kikugorô. A newly-created auspicious Tokiwazu-based dance-drama, entitled "Sachi Negau Shibai Gokko" [ Ichikawa Ebizô has started a tour going through 13 cities from the 11th of September to the 29th of October 2020. This tour, which was not produced by the Shôchiku Company but by Zen-A Corporation, has been as usual entitled Koten he no Izanai, literally "Invitation to the Classics" [more details]. There will be a special program at the Shôchikuza in October 2020 starring Kataoka Ainosuke,
which will be entitled "Yomigaeru Meibamen GOEMON Shô". This will be a shortened version of the canceled drama "GOEMON-Ishikawa Goemon" ( Ichikawa Ebizô will perform in November 2020 in Fukuoka at the Hakataza [more details]. First Kabuki performances in this city since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis. The Nakamuraya stars, Nakamura Kankurô and Nakamura Shichinosuke, performed in the dance-drama in "Renjishi" in Asakusa in front of the pagoda of the Sensôji Temple. It was streamed online, with talks and films, the 27th of September 2020 through the streaming service e+ Streaming+ and PIA LIVE STREAM. Possible to watch it in replay if you are in Japan up to the 4th of October 2020:
Short videos with English subtitles of Kabuki performances in August 2020 at the Kabukiza have been uploaded on the Shôchiku Official YouTube Channel:
The contents of the Shôchiku Kabuki On-Demand Service have been changed! Among new features, if you are in japan, you will be able to enjoy the Kabuki performances in September 2020 at the Kabukiza:
The Duty of Remembrance: the 6th of September 1920, we could have celebrated the 100th anniversary of the passing away of the Ôsaka actor Arashi Rikan V (1871~1920). |
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| 28 August 2020 |
Official opening in Japan the 26th of August of a Shôchiku Company Kabuki on-demand service based on a video distribution service named MIRAIL!
What about a Kabuki on-demand service for international Kabuki fans? The project has started with survey on online kabuki streaming! Answering the survey will help a lot. After 5 months without any Grand Kabuki in Japan, from March 2020 to July 2020, due to the worldwide COVID-19 crisis, it was a relief to hear that the performances at the Kabukiza, with 4 short programs, went smoothly in August 2020 with only one minor incident: the 3rd program, "Yoshinoyama", was cancelled the 5th of August because a member of the theater staff had a slight fever but he was fortunately tested negative for the coronavirus. A thematic exhibition "Four Seasons of Kabuki" is now being held at the Traditional Performing Arts Information Centre at the National Theatre. It has been filmed and it will be available for free on the National Theatre’s official YouTube channel until the 23rd of September 2020:
The National Theatre has produced a series of documentaries for beginning Kabuki fans, which will be streamed online. It uses the streaming service e+ Streaming+, which is limited to Japan only. The first documentary will be about stage and big stage props. The hosts will be Matsumoto Kôshirô and the non-Kabuki actor Yashima Norito:
Living National Treasure Nakamura Kichiemon will perform the 29th of August 2020 in Ginza at the Kanze Nôgakudô in a newly-created dance-drama entitled "Suma no Ura". Nakamura Kichiemon, under the pen name of Matsu Kanshi, has written this dance-drama which is about the sad story of Kumagai Kojirô, the son of the warrior Kumagai Jirô Naozane (the hero of the classic "Ichi-no-Tani Futaba Gunki"). This performance will be streamed online through the streaming service e+ Streaming+:
There will be Kabuki performances in September 2020 in Tôkyô at the Kabukiza. There won't be the usual two programs but FOUR programs! Each program will be limited to one drama or one dance-drama just like in August 2020 [more details]. The September performances at the Kabukiza used to be the Shûzan Matsuri Kugatsu Ôkabuki, Shûzan's Festival September Grand Kabuki, a special program called "Shûzan Matsuri" (the festival of Shûzan) which was staged to commemorate the great actor Nakamura Kichiemon I, whose's haimyô was Shûzan. In 2020, "Hikimado" will be staged in the spirit of the Shûzan's Festival. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the drama "GOEMON-Ishikawa Goemon" ( Living National Treasure Bandô Tamasaburô was expected to perform in October 2020 and in November 2020 in Yamaga at the Yachiyoza [more details]. The shows have been postponed one more time due to the COVID-19 crisis! There will be Kabuki performances in October 2020 in Nagoya at the Misonoza. It won't be the classic October kaomise programs but a simpler Kabuki program starring Onoe Kikunosuke [more details] One more report in English for the 3rd, 4th and 5th Zûmu Kabuki ("Zoom Kabuki") performances has been published online:
The Duty of Remembrance:
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| 31 July 2020 |
Important: No Kabuki performances at all in Japan in July 2020 due to the worldwide COVID-19 crisis. Most of the performances have been canceled. Only the performances at the Kabukiza have been postponed. Fifth consecutive month without any Grand Kabuki at all in Japan! The COVID-19-related rules to be respected during the August 2020 performances at the Kabukiza have been published: mask, social distancing, no contact with the actors, vacant seats, thermography at the entrance, hand sanitizers, seats sterilization, ... and no kakegoe allowed! A special Kabuki program in Ôsaka, which will be part of the 2020 edition of the Ôsaka Culture and Arts Festival (Ôsaka Bunka Geijutsu Fesu), will be staged at the Cool Japan Park Ôsaka TT Hall from the 11th to the 13th of September 2020. The stars will be Nakamura Ganjirô, Kataoka Ainosuke, Ichikawa Udanji, Nakamura Kazutarô and Onoe Ukon [more details]. 6th edition of the gala of the Sora no Kai (literally 'Sky Society'), which stars Kataoka Matsujûrô, Kataoka Senjirô, Kataoka Senju and others. They will perform from the 20th to the 23rd of August 2020 in Ôsaka at the Kintetsu Art Kan [more details]. These performances are entitled Abeno Kabuki (Abeno is the name of a famous district in Ôsaka). A newly-created drama entitled "Ukiyo Banashi Hitoyo no Adauchi" will be staged. It is a Kabuki adaptation of a famous Kamigata rakugo entitled "Yadoya Gataki". This is the story of a samurai staying in an inn in Nipponbashi (Ôsaka). The guests next door are so noisy that the samurai cannot sleep at all. He registers a strong complaint to the manager of the inn, who asks the noisy guests to lower their voice. They try to do so once, but they restart their noisy chatter again. And they speak about their experiences. One of them tells the others that he has killed one samurai and boasts heavily about it. After hearing the story from his room, the samurai tells to the manager that he is the brother of that person who was killed, so he decide to take his revenge next morning. The manager tells the guests about it and they feel shocked and become all silent. Next morning, the samurai is going to leave the inn without any action, so the manager asks him when he plans to kill the murderer of his brother. The samurai answers that it is a lie, which has been the perfect solution to be able to rest and sleep. "Ukiyo Banashi Hitoyo no Adauchi" will be staged under the guidance of Living National Treasure Kataoka Hidetarô and the furitsuke Yamamura Tomogorô III. One poster for the August 2020 performances at the Kabukiza has been printed out and will be sold in the theater. The world of Kabuki and the world of otaku will collide one more time, not in a theater but online! Chôkabuki (literally Ultra-Kabuki) will be broadcasted online the 16th of August 2020. Nakamura Shidô will once again share a virtual stage with the 3D creature Hatsune Miku [more details in Japanese]. The 1st edition of the gala of the Miyoshiya Guild, Kamimura Kichiya and his disciples, will happen the 20th of September 2020, in Ôsaka at the Ôtsuki Nô Theatre [more details]. The Ôtsuki Nô Theatre is located near Ôsaka Castle. It was established in 1935 and it is one of the few Nô theaters in Kansai which has survived WWII. The program for the 26th edition of the common program for 2 associations, the Chigyokai (the Young Fishes Association) and the Kabukikai (the Kabuki Association), which stars stars' disciples in the leading roles at the National Theatre in August 2020, has been published [more details]. The 22nd edition of the summer program of the association Ne no Kai (literally 'the Sound Association') will happen the 10th and the 11th of August 2020 [more details]. A special program at the Minamiza in Kyôto to explain stage mechanisms, from the tachimawari to the hanamichi. An interesting program to experience some of the unique stagecraft tricks used in Japanese Kabuki theatre. Tours will be organized from the 1st to the 31st of August 2020 [more details in Japanese]. Living National Treasure Bandô Tamasaburô will perform in Yamaga at the Yachiyoza from the 30th of October to the 8th of November 2020 [more details]. We know now what will be the contents of the next 30 DVD, from number 31 (21 october 2020) to number 60, of the 100-DVD collection published by Hachette Collections Japan and the Shôchiku Company once every two weeks since 2019 [more details in Japanese/official website]. Opening of the Shôchiku Kabuki Flyers Database! All Kabuki flyers from 2006 are available online. Reports in English for the first two Zûmu Kabuki ("Zoom Kabuki") performances have been published online:
The Duty of Remembrance:
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| 30 June 2020 |
Important: No Kabuki performances at all in Japan in June 2020 due to the worldwide COVID-19 crisis. Most of the performances have been canceled. Only the performances at the Kabukiza have been postponed. Fourth consecutive month without any Grand Kabuki at all in Japan! A very good piece of news for Kabuki fans: there will be Kabuki performances in August in Tôkyô at the Kabukiza. There won't be the usual two programs but FOUR programs! Each program will be limited to one drama or one dance-drama [more details]. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, Living National Treasure Bandô Tamasaburô won't perform in Kyôto at the Minamiza in June 2020 [more details]. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, there won't be any Grand Kabuki Tour in the central provinces [more details]. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the 30th edition of the Kamigata Kabukikai (the Kamigata Kabuki Association), a summer program in Ôsaka at the National Bunraku Theatre in August 2020, won't happen [more details]. The drama "GOEMON-Ishikawa Goemon" ( The first ever online Kabuki program was streamed in Japan the 27th of June 2020. This new kind of Kabuki was called Zûmu Kabuki ("Zoom Kabuki") and it starred Matsumoto Kôshirô, Nakamura Kazutarô and Ichikawa En'ya [more details]. The performance mixed recorded video and live online and gave the illusion that all the actors were performing "on stage" together. The first Zoom drama was based on the first 3 acts of the classic "Kanadehon Chûshingura". The streaming service e+ Streaming+ was limited to Japan only. There will be 4 others streaming sessions, all based on the others acts of "Kanadehon Chûshingura":
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| 31 May 2020 |
Important: No Kabuki performances at all in Japan in May 2020 due to the worldwide COVID-19 crisis. Most of the performances have been canceled. Only the performances at the Kabukiza have been postponed. Third consecutive month without any Grand Kabuki at all in Japan! Due to the COVID-19 crisis, there won't be any Grand Kabuki in June 2020 in Fukuoka at the Hakataza [more details]. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, there won't be any Grand Kabuki in July 2020 in Ôsaka at the Shôchikuza [more details]. The program for the Grand Kabuki Tour in the central provinces in September 2020 have been published [more details]. The program for the 30th edition of the Kamigata Kabukikai (the Kamigata Kabuki Association), a summer program in Ôsaka at the National Bunraku Theatre in August 2020 which stars Kamigata Kabuki stars' disciples in the leading roles with the guidance of Kataoka Nizaemon, Nakamura Ganjirô, Kataoka Hidetarô and Kataoka Gatô, has been published [more details]. Since the 25th of May 2020, the Kabukiza has been illuminated with blue lights to show gratitude to and support for medical staff and front-line workers fighting the coronavirus [pictures and more details in Japanese]. Onoe Ukon has opened his Official YouTube Channel. Several videos of his performances have been uploaded and will be available for a limited period of time:
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| 30 April 2020 |
Important: No Kabuki performances at all in Japan in April 2020 due to the worldwide COVID-19 crisis. Most of the performances have been canceled. Only the 2nd edition of the Yû no Kai, a gala which stars Ôtani Keizô and his son Ôtani Ryûsei, in Midori at the Nagame Yokyôjô (Nagame Entertainment Theater), has been postponed. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the 3-month shûmei performances at the Kabukiza of Ichikawa Danjûrô XIII in May 2020, June 2020 and July 2020 have been postponed. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, there won't be any Akasaka Grand Kabuki in May 2020 at the TBS Akasaka Act Theater in Tôkyô [more details]. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the performances of Living National Treasure Bandô Tamasaburô in May 2020, from the 12th to the 17 of May, in Atami at the MOA Museum of Art [more details] have been rescheduled from the 18th to the 22nd of November 2020. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the performances of the Zenshinza troupe in May 2020 at the National Theatre have been canceled [more details]. The same program will be staged in May 2021 in the same venue to celebrate its 90th anniversary. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the two educational programs at the National Theatre in June 2020 and July 2020, which are called Kabuki Kanshô Kyôshitu ("Kabuki appreciation class"), have been canceled. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the Chôkabuki performances in Kyôto at the Minamiza in June 2020 have been canceled. The two programs for the July Grand Kabuki in Ôsaka at the Shôchikuza in July 2020 have been published [more details]. The troupe will be led by Living National Treasure Kataoka Nizaemon. Will these two programs be staged or canceled? Time will tell. Living National Treasure Bandô Tamasaburô will perform in Kyôto at the Minamiza in August 2020 [more details]. There will be a mix of video projection (with video sequences coming from the high-quality Shinema Kabuki, "Cinema Kabuki") and real dancing on stage. It will be divided into 2 programs, Program A from the 1st to the 13th of August and Program B from the 15th to the 26th of August. Two posters for the March 2020 performances at the Kabukiza have been published:
A collateral victim of the COVID-19 crisis: Benmatsu, whose most famous shop is located directly across the street from the Kabukiza, and which has been putting together its bentô for 152 years (the first shop was opened in 1868) for members of the audience or actors/staff of the theater, went bankrupt the 20th of April 2020. The American TV network CBS has put online an interesting documentary about Ichikawa Ebizô: Kabuki: Inside the Japanese artform with its biggest star, Ebizô. For a limited period of time, it was possible in April 2020 to watch on YouTube all the March 2020 Kabuki performances shot at the National Theatre or the Kabukiza without any audience.
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| 31 March 2020 |
Important: No Kabuki performances at all in Japan in March 2020 due to the worldwide COVID-19 crisis. Moreover, the April 2020 performances will be either fully cancelled or stopped for several days in Japan. So far, it has been reported that there will be no performance at all at the Misonoza and at the Kanamaruza. The Grand Kabuki Tour in the western provinces will be stopped as well. Idem for the Grand Kabuki Tour in the eastern provinces in May 2020. There won't be any performance at the Shinbashi Enbujô from the 3rd to the 14th of April 2020. Performances are hypothetically scheduled to begin again from the 16th of April. The event mixing Opera and Kabuki, which was expected to happen the 18th of April 2020 and has been entitled KABUKI x OPERA "Luminous, The Lord", will have to wait for another year before happening. Now, the big question is this one: will the 3-month shûmei of Ichikawa Danjûrô XIII be postponed as well? Living National Treasure Bandô Tamasaburô was expected to perform in May 2020 in Kyôtango at the Tango Bunka Kaikan (Tango Culture Center) [more details], in Atami at the MOA Museum of Art [more details] and in Yamaga at the Yachiyoza [more details]. The first and the third shows have been postponed. It will be rescheduled at the Yachiyoza from the 30th of October to the 8th of November 2020. No date for the Tango Bunka Kaikan show. No postponement announcement for the show at the MOA Museum of Art. The two programs for the May Grand Kabuki at the Kabukiza in May 2020 have been published. This will be the first month of a 3-month shûmei for the new Ichikawa Danjûrô XIII [more details]. The highlights of these programs will be:
The two programs for the June Grand Kabuki at the Kabukiza in June 2020 have been published. This will be the second month of a 3-month shûmei for the new Ichikawa Danjûrô XIII and the first month of hatsubutai for his son Ichikawa Shinnosuke VIII [more details]. The highlights of these programs will be:
The two programs for the July Grand Kabuki at the Kabukiza in July 2020 have been published. This will be the third month of a 3-month shûmei for the new Ichikawa Danjûrô XIII and the second month of hatsubutai for his son Ichikawa Shinnosuke VIII [more details]. The highlights of these programs will be:
The Buyô dancer Ichikawa Botan IV, the daughter of the future Ichikawa Danjûrô XIII, will perform at the Kabukiza in July 2020 in the dance "Danjûrô Musume" (commonly called "Ômi no Okane"). She will play the leading role of Okane in this dance with a title which could be translated "Danjûrô's Daughter" in English [more details]. The world of Kabuki and the world of otaku will collide for the 7th time in Kabuki history and for the second time in a major Kabuki theater! Chôkabuki (literally Ultra-Kabuki) will be staged in Kyôto at the Minamiza in June 2020. Nakamura Shidô will once again share the stage with the virtual 3D creature Hatsune Miku [more details]. Matsumoto Kôshirô is one of the 5 artists who will receive the 2019 Nihon Geijutsuin Shô, the Japan Art Academy Prize. The ceremony will happen the 15th of June 2020 in Ueno at the Nihon Geijutsuin Kaikan (Japan Art Academy Hall). The 2nd edition of the Yû no Kai, a gala which stars Ôtani Keizô and his son Ôtani Ryûsei, was expected to happen the 12th of April 2020 at the Nagame Yokyôjô (Nagame Entertainment Theater), a traditional wooden-built theater (1937) in the city of Midori in Gunma Prefecture. It has been postponed [more details]. Kiba Katsumi and Yamaguchi Makiya, two non-Kabuki actors, will perform, along with Nakamura Kankurô, Nakamura Shichinosuke and Nakamura Shidô, in May 2020 at the TBS Akasaka Act Theater in the Akasaka Grand Kabuki [more details]. |
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| 29 February 2020 |
Important: No Kabuki performances for several days in March! The performances will be cancelled to prevent the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Japan. No performance at the National Theatre up to the 15th of March [more details].. They are expected to restart the 16th of March. Same decision of cancellation of performances for the theaters managed by the Shôchiku Company: the Kabukiza, the Meijiza and the Minamiza, from the 28th of February to the 10th of March [more details]. Performances are scheduled to begin again from the 11th of March. Moreover, the performances of Ichikawa Ebizô at the Hakataza from the 27th of February to the 1st of March were canceled. Ichikawa Ebizô XI will take the prestigious name of Ichikawa Danjûrô XIII in Tôkyô at the Kabukiza in May, June and July 2020. His son Horikoshi Kangen will receive the name of Ichikawa Shinnosuke VIII and make his hatsubutai in June and July 2020. The roles, which will be played by the new Danjûrô and the new Shinnosuke, have been decided:
Living National Treasure Bandô Tamasaburô will perform in a special Buyô program from the 12th to the 17th of May 2020 in Atami at the MOA Museum of Art [more details]. The two programs for the June Grand Kabuki in Fukuoka at the Hakataza in June 2020 have been published [more details]. The troupe will be led by Nakamura Tokizô, Nakamura Baigyoku and Onoe Kikunosuke. Nakamura Kangyoku will celebrate his shûmei in Fukuoka, playing the roles of Okiyo, Shûrinosuke and Tarôkaja in "Ohama Goten", "Domo Mata" and "Takatsuki". Nakamura Shikan and his 3 sons, Nakamura Hashinosuke, Nakamura Fukunosuke and Nakamura Utanosuke, will be on tour in the Eastern Provinces in May 2020 [more details]. The Zenshinza troupe will perform in May 2020 at the National Theatre [more details]. The highlight of this program will be the classic "Shunkan" with Fujikawa Yanosuke in the eponymous role. There will also be the production of a newly-created Kabuki drama entitled "Tagaya no Kinta", with a story based on 3 famous rakugo: "Tagaya", "Nagaya no Hanami" and "Hanami no Adauchi". The world of Kabuki and the world of otaku will collide for the 6th time in Kabuki history in April 2020! Chôkabuki (literally Ultra-Kabuki) will be back! Nakamura Shidô will once again share the stage with the virtual 3D creature Hatsune Miku. They will perform together in a Chôkabuki dance-drama which will be entitled "Otogi Zôshi Koi no Sugatae". It will be staged at the Makuhari Messe the 18th and the 19th of April 2020, as part of the Niconico Chôkaigi 2020 event, an important yearly event for the otaku tribes [more details]. An article has been published in the Japan Times on this topic: Ichikawa Udanji, Ichikawa Kudanji and Ôtani Hiromatsu will be on tour in March 2020 [more details]. Nakamura Baishi was the award-winners of the "New Face" Award (Engeki Shinjin Shô) of the 41st Matsuo Artistic Awards (Matsuo Geinô Shô). He will receive this award the 27th of March 2020 in Tôkyô at the Imperial Hotel. Onoe Matsuya will perform outside Kabuki in April, May and June 2020 in Michael Kunze's musical "Elisabeth". This musical was about the life of Empress Elisabeth of Austria and the music was made by Sylvester Levay. Onoe Matsuya will perform in Tôkyô at the Imperial Theater from the 9th of April to the 4th of May 2020 and in Ôsaka at the Umeda Arts Theater from the 11th of May to the 2nd of May 2020. Opening in February 2020 of a Twitter account for the Shôchiku Kabuki Official Website:
There were mamemaki ceremonies for setsubun the 3rd of February 2020 at the Kabukiza [pictures and more details in Japanese] and the 4th of February 2020 at the Hakataza [pictures and more details in Japanese]. A special video starring Sawamura Kuniya was released by NTT Docomo the 20th of February 2020. It described through a Kabuki dance a method to relieve body fatigue due to heavy use of smartphone [more details in Japanese]. |
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| 31 January 2020 |
As the Kabukiza will be closed for maintenance and building repairs in April 2020, the April Grand Kabuki performances will be staged at the nearby Shinbashi Enbujô and the two programs have been published. The troupe will be led by Living National Treasures Onoe Kikugorô and Nakamura Kichiemon [more details]. Nakamura Kankurô, Nakamura Shichinosuke and Nakamura Shidô will perform in May 2020 at the TBS Akasaka Act Theater in a special Kabuki program which will be entitled Akasaka Grand Kabuki. They will perform in a revised version supevised by Minamoto Takashi of the famous kaidanmono "Botan Dôrô" [more details]. The classic "Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura" will be staged in March 2020 at the National Theatre, with young star Onoe Kikunosuke playing the 3 important roles of Taira no Tomomori, Igami no Gonta and the fox Tadanobu [more details]. There will be 3 programs which will be staged with the following schedule:
The Zenshinza troupe will be on tour in Japan from the 18th of February to the 1st of March 2020 [more details]. Living National Treasure Kataoka Nizaemon went to the Dazaifu Tenmangû the 15th of January 2020 to pray for the success of the coming performances of "Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami" in February 2020 at the Kabukiza. Kataoka Nizaemon will play the role of Kan Shôjô, whose real name was Sugawara no Michizane, and the grave of Sugawara no Michizane is located in the precincts of the Dazaifu Tenmangû Shrine [pictures and more details in Japanese]. The Kabuki actor Ichikawa Ebizô and the opera star Placido Domingo were expected to team up for the cultural festival accompanying the opening of the 2020 Tôkyô Olympic and Paralympic Games. Following the 2019 sexual harassment multiple accusations against Placido Domingo, the star was replaced by the Italian Soprano singer Anna Pirozzi and the Uruguayan baritone Erwin Schrott, who will perform along with Ichikawa Ebizô in the opening act of the TÔKYÔ 2020 NIPPON FESTIVAL the 18th of April 2020, to kick off celebrations for the coming Tôkyô Olympic and Paralympic Games. This event mixing Opera and Kabuki will be entitled KABUKI x OPERA "Luminous, The Lord". The Tôkyô Philharmonic Orchestra will be conducted by Jordi Bernàcer, the venue will be the Tôkyô Metropolitan Gymnasium and the furitsuke will be Fujima Kanjûrô VIII [more details]. Nakamura Ganjirô and Nakamura Toranosuke took part in a parade in Ôsaka the 10th of January 2020, which was part of the Tôka Ebisu Festival at the Imamiya Ebisu Shrine, which is located in the Naniwa Ward of Ôsaka and is commonly (and affectiously) called Ebessan by the people of Ôsaka. The Tôka Ebisu Festival was held from the 9th to the 11th of January 2020. Tôka meaning the 10th day in Japanese, this festival is usually held around the 10th of January and it is extremely popular in Ôsaka. During this festival sacred bamboo branches are sold to business people. The branches, known as fukusasa, are decorated with lucky symbols. The two actors were paraded through shopping and entertainment districts on a special palanquin called hoe kago, surrounded by people singing a simple catchy folk song [more details in Japanese and pictures]. The 14th of January 2020 at the Asakusa Kôkaidô, seven geisha came and saw the New Year Asakusa Kabuki. They arrived at the Asakusa Public Hall riding in rickshaws and then stood near the entrance to greet the arriving customers. This kind of visit by a group of geisha is called Sôken (literally "global viewing") [pictures and more details in Japanese]. One poster for the February 2020 performance at the Kabukiza of Living National Treasure Kataoka Nizaemon in the role of Kan Shôjô. Members of the Edo Firefighting Memorial Association performed kiyari ritual dances within the Kabukiza the 6th of January 2020 [more details in Japanese]. There is an exhibition dedicated to Nakamura Utaemon VI at the Setagaya Literary Museum in Setagaya Ward in winter and spring 2020. It started the 18th of January 2020 and it will end the 5th of April 2020. Why Setagaya? Nakamura Utaemon VI's last home was located in the district of Okamoto in Setagaya Ward. The 120th edition of the Hanamichikai Kabuki Seminâ (the Kabuki Seminar of the Hanamichi Association) will happen the 9th of February 2020 at 14:30 on the 3rd floor of the Kabukiza in the Hanakago Restaurant. The guest of this talk will be Ichikawa Danzô and the long-time NHK announcer Kasai Seiji will lead the discussions. 3 actors, who have successfully passed the 2019 nadai exam, received their diploma during a special ceremony [pictures and more details in Japanese]. It happened at the Kabukiza the 16th of January 2020 for the tachiyaku actors Ichikawa Usaji, a disciple of Ichikawa Udanji, and Nakamura Kichijirô, a disciple of Living National Treasure Nakamura Kichiemon. It happened at the Shôchikuza the 21st of January 2020 for the onnagata actor Kataoka Rikiya, a disciple of Living National Treasure Kataoka Hidetarô. |
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