SHINBASHI ENBUJÔ

City

Tôkyô

History

June 1925: premiere at the Shinbashi Enbujô of Suzuki Senzaburô's drama "Ikite-iru Koheiji", which was staged with the following casting:

Roles	Actors
Takurô	Onoe Kikugorô VI
Kohata Koheiji	Morita Kan'ya XIII
Takurô's wife Ochika	Ichikawa Kigan V

July 1951: revival at the Shinbashi Enbujô of Kawatake Mokuami's drama "Jitsugetsusei Kyôwa Seidan", which is staged to commemorate the 2nd anniversary (3rd memorial service) of the passing away of Onoe Kikugorô VI with the following casting:

Roles	Actors
The travelling actor Miyagawa Ushinosuke, later the priest Enmeiin Nittô	Ichikawa Ebizô IX
Rokubê's daughter (and Kumemura's meshitsukai) Okoro	Onoe Baikô VII
Ômu no Ryûzô, later the priest Ryûzen	Onoe Shôroku II
The hinin Oguri no Umakichi	Ichikawa Omezô IV
The thief Akatsuki Hoshiemon, Ôzakaya Kihachi (in reality Akatsuki Hoshiemon)	Bandô Hikosaburô VII
Sasagawa Kôjûrô	Kawarasaki Gonjûrô II
The okujochû Takekawa, in reality Kôjûrô's sister Otsuta	Ichimura Uzaemon XVI
The okujochû Kumemura	Nakamura Fukusuke VII
Arakuma no Kurozô	Onoe Koisaburô III
The hikite jaya wife Okise	Kawarasaki Gonzaburô IV
The bonze Unnen	Bandô Mitsunobu
The bonze Sainen	Kataoka Daisuke
The okujochû Wakano	Ichimura Kakitsu VIII
The okujochû Futaba	Ôkawa Hashizô II
The okujochû Momiji	Onoe Kikuzô VI
The okujochû Hanayama	Ichikawa Nedanji II
The flintstone-seller Rokubê	Ichikawa Teruzô II
The hinin Tanroku	Onoe Shinshichi V
The hinin Sairoku	Onoe Kikujûrô III
The hinin Yonezô	Suketakaya Kodenji II
The sendô Yotanbo no Jirô	Onoe Tagazô III
Omachi	Onoe Baichô IV
Oshige	Nakamura Baika III
Amazake no Osute	Bandô Usaburô

January 1952: premiere at the Shinbashi Enbujô of Hagiwara Yukio's Kiyomoto-based dôjôjimono "Yuki no Dôjôji"; the music was written by Kiyomoto Eijirô III and the choreography was made by Fujima Kanjûrô VI; it is staged with a Kiyomoto ensemble led by Kiyomoto Enjudayû VI and the following casting:

Roles	Actors
The ghost of Princess Kiyo	Onoe Baikô VII
A young shugenja	Onoe Shôroku II
A Dôjôji bonze	Ichimura Kakitsu VIII
A Dôjôji bonze	Ôkawa Hashizô II
A Dôjôji bonze	Bandô Mitsunobu
A Dôjôji bonze	Onoe Kikuzô VI

August 1953: revival of Chikamatsu Monzaemon's masterpiece "Sonezaki Shinjû" at the Shinbashi Enbujô, based on a new script written by Uno Nobuo and staged with the following casting:

Roles	Actors
Hiranoya Tokubê	Nakamura Ganjirô II
Tenmaya Ohatsu	Nakamura Senjaku II
Aburaya Kuheiji	Arashi Kichisaburô VII
Hiranoya Kyûemon	Bandô Minosuke VI
Tenmaya Sôbê	Asao Okuyama VIII

January 1954: revival at the Shinbashi Enbujô of the Nagauta-based dance "Taimen Hana no Harukoma", which is entitled "Ataru Toshi Iwau Harukoma" and staged with the following casting:

Roles	Actors
Soga Jûrô Sukenari	Ôkawa Hashizô II
Soga Gorô Tokimune	Bandô Mitsunobu
Kudô Saemon Suketsune	Kawarasaki Gonzaburô IV
Kobayashi no Asahina	Kataoka Ichizô V
The courtesan Kewaizaka no Shôshô	Sawamura Yoshijirô IV
Yawata no Saburô	Kataoka Daisuke
The courtesan Ôiso no Tora	Onoe Kikuzô VI
Ômi no Kotôta	Suketakaya Kodenji II

January 1958: premiere at the Shinbashi Enbujô of the matsubamemono dance-drama "Tôzumô", which was staged with the following casting:

Roles	Actors
A Japanese sumôtori	Onoe Shôroku II
The Chinese Emperor	Ichikawa Sadanji III
The Chinese Empress	Nakamura Fukusuke VII
The interpreter	Ichimura Uzaemon XVII
A kanjin	Onoe Shinshichi V
A kanjin	Onoe Tagazô III
A kanjin	Ichikawa Masuzô IV
A kanjin	Onoe Matsushirô
A kanjin	Bandô Yaenosuke
A kanjin	Bandô Shinzô III
A kanjin	Onoe Umegorô
A kanjin	Onoe Umesuke II
A kanjo	Ichikawa Fukunosuke III
A kanjo	Nakamura Baika III
A kanjo	Ichikawa Otora V
A karako	Ichimura Takematsu V
A karako	Ichikawa Ginnosuke I

June 1971: revival at the Shinbashi Enbujô of the drama "Banshû Sarayashiki"; the roles of Asayama Tetsuzan and the koshimoto Okiku are played by Kataoka Takao and Bandô Tamasaburô.

February 1979: revision by Uno Nobuo of Sakurada Jisuke III's drama "Sanzesô Nishiki Bunshô", which is staged at the Shinbashi Enbujô with the following casting:

Roles	Actors
Rokusa	Kataoka Takao
Osono	Bandô Tamasaburô
Fukushimaya Seibê	Bandô Kôtarô
Seibê's wife Okaji	Sawamura Sôjûrô IX
Chôan	Ichikawa Yaozô IX
Shichirôsuke	Nakamura Kangorô XIII
The old woman at the Sanzu river	Nakamura Shikaku II
Enma Daiô	Nakamura Kamon II

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:

Roles	Actors
Tomozô, Hagiwara Shinzaburô	Kataoka Takao
Otsuyu, Otsuyu's ghost, Tomozô's wife Omine	Bandô Tamasaburô
San'yûtei Enchô	Nakamura Kankurô
Oyone's ghost	Nakamura Mannojô
Genjirô's lover Okuni	Nakamura Kotarô V
Miyanobe Genjirô	Bandô Yasosuke V

June 1991: premiere at the Shinbashi Enbujô of Hagiwara Yukio's dance-drama "Sakuragawa", which is staged with the following casting:

Roles	Actors
Somenoi-no-Mae	Nakamura Shikan VII
The Isobedera Temple head Chikukei	Nakamura Hashinosuke III
The temple page Ryûchin	Nakamura Kantarô II
Sakura	Nakamura Shichinosuke II

January 2008: revival at the Shinbashi Enbujô of "Narukami Fudô Kitayama Zakura", which celebrates the 1070th anniversary of the Narita-san Temple, where the Deity Fudô Myôô is worshipped, and which is staged with the following casting:

Roles	Actors
The wicked priest Narukami, Kumedera Danjô, the deity Fudô Myôô, Abe no Kiyoyuki, Hayakumo no Ôji	Ichikawa Ebizô XI
Princess Taema	Nakamura Shibajaku VII
Fujiwara no Mototsune	Ichikawa Monnosuke VIII
Bun'ya Toyohide	Ichikawa Danjirô
The koshimoto Makiginu	Ichikawa Emisaburô III
Ono Saemon Harumichi	Ôtani Tomoemon VIII
Ono no Harukaze	Sawamura Sônosuke III
The karô Yatsurugi Genba, Kokuunbô (the Buddhist monk black cloud)	Kataoka Ichizô VI
Yamagami Kanzô	Ichikawa En'ya II
The page Hata no Hidetarô	Ichikawa Shun'en II
The karô Hata no Minbu, Hakuunbô (the Buddhist monk white cloud)	Ichikawa Unosuke III

September 2011: Nakamura Kashô III and his son Nakamura Tanetarô IV take the names of Nakamura Matagorô III and Nakamura Kashô IV at the Shinbashi Enbujô; the new Nakamura Matagorô III plays the roles of Takebe Genzô, Toyotomi Hideyori and Umeômaru in "Terakoya", "Hototogisu Kojô no Rakugetsu" and "Kurumabiki" [more details].

February 2012: Nakamura Kantarô II takes the name of Nakamura Kankurô VI in Tôkyô at the Shinbashi Enbujô, playing the roles of the priest Chichû (in reality the spirit of the ground spider), Matsue and Yayoi (in reality the spirit of the Lion) in "Tsuchi-gumo", "Kôchiyama" and "Kagami Jishi" [more details].

January 2014: premiere at the Shinbashi Enbujô with Ichikawa Ebizô as zagashira of the drama "Kotohoide Mimasu Kagekiyo", a newly-created drama mixing 4 dramas belonging to the Kabuki Jûhachiban and focusing on the warrior Akushichibyôe Kagekiyo [more details].

January 2015: Ichikawa Michiyuki takes the name of Ichikawa Kudanji IV in Tôkyô at the Shinbashi Enbujô [more details].

January 2017: Ichikawa Ukon I takes the name of Ichikawa Udanji III at the Shinbashi Enbujô. His son makes his debut on stage (hatsubutai) and receives the name of Ichikawa Ukon II [more details].

The Shinbashi Enbujô

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