Nureki Chimuo Archive

Fukunosuke

Fukunosuke Ichikawa (III) Real Name: Haruo Mizutori (formerly Haruo Asai)

Stage Name: Naritaya

Crest: Gourd and Paulowina

Dates of Birth and Death: March 21, Meiji 37 (1904) - August 4, Heisei 2 (1990)

Place of Birth: Daiboji-cho, Shima-no-uchi, Osaka

Profile

In his youth, he was a beautiful onnagata who made a name for himself playing roles such as Akahime and young women in medium-sized and small theaters like the Miyato-za and Kotobuki-za. In her later years, at the suggestion of the third-generation Onoe Taganosuke, he shifted primarily to playing older roles, and after Taganosuke’s death, he portrayed Okaya in the sixth act of “Kanadehon Chushingura.”

Fukunosuke’s portrayal of Okaya, which was, if anything, reserved, warm, and full of tenderness, proved to be the perfect match for the Kanpei characters played by the young Onoe Kikugoro and Ichikawa Danjuro, bringing a sense of discipline to the stage. He served as an important mentor to the Naritaya family and was also a fatherly figure to the current Ichikawa Danjuro. Whether as Komatsu’s mother in “The Tale of Sanemori” or Gonta’s mother at the “Sushiya” in “Yoshitune and the Thousand Cherry Trees,” he deeply moved the audience with his poignant portrayal of the sorrow of an elderly mother outliving her child. In his younger roles, his portrayal of the landlady in “Shukuya Shinsuke,” a worldly sophisticated woman of a certain age, is particularly noteworthy.

Career

Professional Career:

Although he was the heir to a printing business, he aspired to become an actor and entered the troupe of the second-generation Ichikawa Udanji. In October of Taisho 9, he took the stage name Ichikawa Tsurunosuke and made his stage debut as a town girl in “The Tale of the Glory of Rokuhara” (written by Shinoyama Ginba) at the Osaka Nakaza Theater. In Showa 4, he moved to Tokyo and joined the Miyato-za in Asakusa. In November of Showa 7, he was promoted to the rank of Meidai for his roles as O-san and Koharu in “Shigure no Kotatsu” at the

Miyato-za. In Showa 10, he joined the Toho Theater Company. In September of the same year, he changed his name to Ichikawa Fukunosuke III. In Janurary of Showa 14, he returned to the Kansai Kabuki and became a disciple of the Ichikawa Soke (Ichikawa Sanjo V). From Showa 16 onward, he settled in Tokyo, performing at small theaters such as the Kotobuki-za and, after the war, the Katabami-za. Beginning in Showa 25, he joined the Kikugoro Theater Company under the guidance of Ichikawa Ebizo (the 11th-generation Danjuro) and became an active member of the troupe.

Awards:

July, Showa 54: National Theater Special Award. October, Showa 56: Japan Actors Association Award for Distinguished Service.

Takejaku

Takejaku Bando (II) Real Name: Keitaro Suzuki

Stage Name: Otowaya

Crest: Bando Crane, Double-Petaled Wood Sorrel

Dates of Birth and Death: March 10, Meiji 28 (1895) - November 13, Showa 44 (1969)

Place of Birth: Shizuoka Prefecture

Profile

Before the war, he performed at the Kotobuki-za (later at the Kotobuki Theater) in Honjo Midori-cho, Tokyo. After the Kotobuki Theater was destroyed in the war, he co-founded the “Katabami-za” with the Fourth Bando Tsuruzo, Matsumoto Korinosuke, and others, and played an active role as one of its key members. After the war, he made the Sumida Theater, located inside the Asakusa Matsuya department store, his bade. With his versatility as both a male lead and an onnagata, he entertained audiences with performances typical of small-theater productions, such as playing the dual roles of Omiya and Rancho in “Rancho” and the dual roles of Sodehagi and Sadatomo in the third act of “Oshu Adachigahara.” When the theater closed, he moved to the major Kabuki theater in his later years alongside Ichikawa Monzaburo (Hakuzo) and others. During the summer Hanagata Kabuki season at the former Shinbashi Enbujo, he effortessly played the role of the village headman who announces Kajiwara’s arrival in the “Sushiya” scene of “Yoshitune Senbonzakura,” leaving the audience thinking, “So this is that Takejaku.”

Biography

Stage Career:

Made his stage debut in October, Meiji 33, at the Kyogoku-za in Kyoto, playing the role of a pageboy in “Ichii Joemon” under the stage name Seki Rikio. In April of Meiji 44, he became a disciple of the second-generation Bando Hikojiro and changed his name to to Bando Utsuru. In October of Taisho 8, he assumed the name of the second-generation Bando Shuzaburo at the Asakusa Engi-za. In September of Taisho 10, he took the name of the second-generation Bando Takejaku at the Imperial Theater and was promoted to the rank of Meitai (leading actor).