Stage names:

Ichikawa Sai'nyû II
Ichikawa Unosuke III

Real name: Ichikawa Hitoshi

Guild: Takashimaya

Line number: NIDAIME (II)

Birthday: 1 October 1947

Connections:

Great-great-grandfather: Ichikawa Kodanji IV

Great-grandfather: Ichikawa Sai'nyû I

Grandfather: Ichikawa Udanji II

Father: Ichikawa Unosuke II

Masters: Ichikawa Ebizô XI, Ichikawa Danjûrô XII, Ichikawa Danjûrô XI, Ichikawa Jukai III

Career:

October 1955: he made his first appearance on stage at the Ôsaka Kabukiza, receiving the name of Ichikawa Unosuke III and playing the role of Kotarô in the "Terakoya" scene of the classic "Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami".

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

February 1973: Unosuke became disciple of the star Ichikawa Ebizô X.

February 1976: revival at the Kabukiza of a 5-act revised version of Funahashi Seiichi's drama "Ejima Ikushima"; Unosuke played the role of Ikushima Shingorô's younger sister Utsu [casting].

Summer 1985: tour in the USA; Unosuke played the role of Urabe Suetake in the dance-drama "Tsuchi-gumo", which celebrated the shûmei in the USA of Ichikawa Danjûrô XII [more details].

January 1997: tôshi kyôgen revival at the National Theatre of the drama "Dan no Ura Kabuto Gunki"; Unosuke played the role of Mitsumine Hachirô Tadakiyo [casting].

October 2004: tour in Paris (France); Unosuke played at the Théâtre de Chaillot the roles of Ohana and a lady-in-waiting in the drama "Toribeyama Shinjû" and the dance "Kagami Jishi", which celebrated the shûmei in Paris of Ichikawa Ebizô XI [more details].

March 2007: tour in Paris (France); Unosuke played at the Palais Garnier the roles of Kamei Rokurô and a retainer of Koremochi in the dance-dramas "Kanjinchô" and "Momijigari", which celebrate the Ichikawa clan [more details].

January 2008: revival at the Shinbashi Enbujô of "Narukami Fudô Kitayama Zakura", which celebrated the 1070th anniversary of the Narita-san Temple, where the Deity Fudô Myôô was worshipped; Unosuke played the role of the karô Hata no Minbu and Hakuunbô (the Buddhist monk white cloud) [casting].

September 2009: short Kabuki tour in Monaco for the Naritaya guild; Unosuke played the roles of Asukai and the bonze Hakuunbô in the dance-drama "Kagami Jishi" and the drama "Narukami" [more details].

June 2010: Kabuki tour in Western Europe, in London at the Sadler's Wells (4~15 June) and in Roma at the Teatro di Roma-Argentina (21~22 June); Unosuke played the role of Kawatsura's wife Asuka [more details].

July 2017: Ichikawa Unosuke III took the name of Ichikawa Sai'nyû II ^[1] at the Kabukiza, playing the role of Okane in the drama "Kagatobi" [more details].

October 2018: Ichikawa Sai'nyû II and Ichikawa Udanji III celebrated their shûmei in Ôsaka at the Shôchikuza; the new Sai'nyû played the roles of Okura and the tsubone Nagao in "Megumi no Kenka" and "Futago Sumidagawa".

Comments:

Ichikawa Sai'nyû II is an important supporting actor of the Naritaya guild. He started his career as an onnagata and a nimaime in Kamigata, trained by the star Ichikawa Jukai III. Then he moved to Tôkyô and joined the Ichikawa clan, switching to tachiyaku roles, like wakashugata, yakko or katakiyaku. He used to be the best stage assistant of Ichikawa Danjûrô in the bombastic aragoto plays of the Ichikawa family.

[1] This name has not been held for more than one century.

The mon of Ichikawa Sai'nyû II

The Ichikawa Unosuke line of actors

The Ichikawa Sai'nyû line of actors